MU Health Care Air Medical Services

MU Health Care Air Medical Service is part of University of Missouri Health Care. It operates an air medical helicopter service for rapid transport of critically ill and injured patients. The program serves Missouri, western Illinois, and southern Iowa. It works closely with law enforcement, fire, EMS teams, and hospitals to provide safe and efficient patient transfers.

The service transports patients of all ages, including newborns and children, often taking them to hospitals in mid-Missouri. Patients are also transported to medical centers in Springfield, Kansas City, and St. Louis when needed. The program includes a Children’s Hospital Critical Care Transport Service for pediatric patients.

Air Medical Service operates four bases located in Moberly, Osage Beach, Sedalia, and Kirksville. The flight radius for scene transports is about 30 miles from each base. The fleet includes an Airbus H135P3+ at Moberly base for specialty flights, and Bell 407 and Bell 407GX helicopters at the other bases to cover rural and lake areas.

The aircraft are equipped with safety features such as night vision capability, Garmin Helicopter Terrain Awareness and Warning System, autopilot, and Flight Data Monitoring Systems. Flight operations and communications are managed from an FAA-approved Operations Control Center in O’Fallon, Missouri. Aircraft are tracked via satellite using SkyTrac® technology.

MU Health Care Air Medical Service holds accreditation from The Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS). It also participates in the AirMedCare Network membership program. Since 2024, Air Evac EMS holds the FAA Part 135 certificate, managing aviation, maintenance, and billing for the service.

Requests for air medical transport can be made by referring providers, hospitals, law enforcement, fire departments, and EMS agencies from Missouri, Illinois, and Iowa. The service requires detailed patient and location information to perform risk assessments and ensure safety before each mission. Feedback from referring and receiving hospitals is encouraged to help improve service quality.

Services

• Air Medical Transport
• Critical Care Patient Transport
• Neonatal and Pediatric Transport
• Scene Transport
• Inter-facility Transport
• Emergency Medical Response
• Flight Nurse and Medic Care
• Helicopter EMS Coordination
• Flight Communications Center
• AirMedCare Network Membership