The Starke County Airport in Knox has a new tenant. The Fort Wayne-based Lutheran Air Flight program is adding a third Lutheran Air Helicopter to its critical care transport fleet. It will go into service today.
The Lutheran Air III crew will be stationed 24-hours a day, 365 days a year in a new 1,500 square foot office and its adjoining hangar at the airport north of Knox.
The air ambulance will provide patients, hospitals and first responders in northwest Indiana greater access to lifesaving medical care. Beneficiaries include Lutheran Hospital’s sister facilities, Starke, LaPorte, Porter Regional and Kosciusko Community Hospitals.
Lutheran Air is mainly known for transporting seriously injured patients from accident scenes or airlifting burn patients. However, the air ambulance is also used by patients who need various other forms of advanced care. The Lutheran Air program is part of a full spectrum of critical and specialty services offered by Lutheran Health Network. They include level II adult and pediatric trauma centers at Lutheran Hospital, the St. Joseph Regional Burn Center and prehospital EMS coverage in Fulton, Kosciusko, Miami, Wabash and Whitley counties.
“Being able to connect Starke and its surrounding counties to highly advanced medical care is part of our mission to improve the health of our patients and the region. We are now able to provide faster access to critical services like heart and kidney transplant programs, major trauma centers, and more,” Starke Hospital Interim CEO and LaPorte Hospital COO Jeff Vice said in a statement.
The choice of the Starke County Airport for Lutheran Air III’s base has also led to the creation of 16 local jobs.
Starke County Airport Authority President James R. Long said in a statement, “Lutheran Air’s choice of our airport for its newest helicopter is a huge win for the health of all who live and work in this area, and another example of the importance of aviation to Starke County and its businesses.”
Lutheran contracts with Air Methods to provide the aircraft, pilots and flight mechanics. Air Methods was the first helicopter and EMS operator in the country to reach Level 4 of the voluntary Safety Management System program overseen by the Federal Aviation Administration. Currently, Air Methods is in transition to conform to the next level of the FAA’s voluntary SMS program.
