Life Link III

Life Link III is a nonprofit air medical transport service based in Minnesota and Wisconsin. It flies patients by helicopter and airplane, day or night, every day of the year. The site says it has a 40 year history of work on patient care and transport safety.

The group began in 1979 as Bio Medical Research Associates, which provided special units for ground transport. An airplane ambulance was added in 1981. In 1985 the business was bought by Abbott Northwestern Hospital, St. Paul Ramsey Medical Center and the University of Minnesota. It became Life Link III and a nonprofit 501(c)(3) company. The site calls it the largest hospital based nonprofit consortium program in the United States. Marshfield Clinic Health Systems joined in 2018 as the tenth member.

The fleet changed to Leonardo AW119Kx helicopters in 2013, with medical interiors and life saving equipment. A Pilatus PC-12 airplane joined in 2016, when the company began a 24 hour fixed wing service. Ground ambulance work ended in 2011 so the company could focus on air medical transport.

Bases are listed in Hibbing, Duluth, Brainerd, Alexandria, Willmar, Blaine, Detroit Lakes, Rush City and Rhinelander in Minnesota and Wisconsin, plus Rice Lake and Marshfield. Each base has a regional clinical manager.

A single call to its communication center can send the most suitable aircraft, even if it belongs to another air medical service. Hospitals and first responders can also use the OneLink mobile app to request an aircraft.

Safety pages list night vision goggles, terrain warning systems, GPS, satellite weather and continuous tracking on its helicopters. The site also gives landing zone safety guides, education pages, a careers page and a contact form.