Air ambulance service closing St. Joseph base

Clayton Anderson, St. Joseph News-Press, Mo.
·1 min read

Sep. 7—A medical helicopter transport service is closing its base at St. Joseph's Rosecrans Memorial Airport.

Air Methods, the parent company of LifeNet Air Medical Transport, closed several bases nationwide Wednesday. In a statement, the company cited pressures from the No Surprises Act, inflation and significant under-reimbursement from Medicare as reasons for the closures.

Denise Coffman, Air Methods' vice president of corporate communications, told News-Press NOW in an email that the current intention is to close the St. Joseph location while Air Methods works with local health care providers.

Joey Austin, a Mosaic Life Care spokeswoman, said medical air transport still is available for St. Joseph area patients from services located in Chillicothe, Kansas City and Clarinda, Iowa.

Clayton Anderson can be reached at clayton.anderson@newspressnow.com. Follow him on twitter: @NPNowAnderson.