(DALLAS, TX – SIOUX CITY, IA):  Mercy Medical Center – Sioux City has finalized an agreement with Med-Trans Corp. for them to become their new aviation partner for their regional helicopter ambulance service located in Sioux City, Iowa. Terms were reached after nearly a 12-month selection process, looking at significant factors such as customization of the program as well as excellent customer service and aviation safety.

Critically ill and injured patients who need acute care and the fastest possible transportation can rest assured knowing that Mercy Air Care (MAC) will continue as a regional asset. Since the service was founded in May of 1987, Mercy Air Care has logged more than 8,300 medical flights.

The Mercy Air Care team is comprised of four experienced pilots, two mechanics and 10 full-time medical personnel, including five flight nurses who are RNs with emergency/critical care experience and five paramedics who are certified in advanced cardiac life support and trauma care.  Med-Trans is replacing the current aviation partner but will be retaining the name of the flight program (Mercy Air Care) as well as the well-trained employees that make up the Mercy Air Care flight team.

While familiar faces and highly skilled clinical care remains consistent, the Mercy Air Care program will further enhance its excellent safety record with a factory new aircraft, Night Vision Goggle (NVG) technology for the entire crew, and state-of-the-art aviation safety aids through the partnership with Med-Trans Corp.

“We are very happy to be associated with Mercy Air Care and to be a part of their ongoing commitment of serving critical patients in need of air medical transport.  This will be a mutually beneficial partnership and Mercy Air Care will continue on as a regional asset,” stated Fred Buttrell, President/CEO of Med-Trans Corp.

“They were looking for creative solutions moving forward with their flight program.  We were able to offer them a customized solution to meet their needs as well as world-class customer service, which is critical in establishing and building strong relationships.  We are very excited about this partnership and the future of Mercy Air Care.”

“Since we first launched the Mercy Air Care service twenty-four years ago, we have had the privilege of serving patients in scores of communities throughout Siouxland,” said Mercy President and CEO Bob Peebles.  “When a crisis calls for a patient to be brought to Mercy, it is a comforting to know that we have world class responders heading to the scene in a state-of-the-art aircraft.  Mercy Medical Center is proud to begin this new relationship with Med-Trans as we continue to solidify our position as the region’s only Level-II Trauma Center.”

Mercy Air Care’s brand new EC 135 helicopter will take flight on February 1st and critical air transport services will be uninterrupted.  This technologically advanced helicopter combines a wide, unobstructed cabin with a Fenestron® tail rotor and bearing less main rotor for excellent performance, range and payload capacity – along with low-noise operation and multi-mission capability.   Oversized sliding side doors and rear clamshell doors enable fast loading and unloading of patients and equipment.

About Med-Trans:Med-Trans Corporation, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, is a leading provider of air ambulance programs in selected locations throughout the United States, focused on establishing partnerships with leading hospital systems, medical centers and EMS agencies to provide customized air medical programs through specialized delivery formats, including alternative delivery models, community based models or traditional hospital-based models. The company’s extensive fleet delivers teams of highly trained medical and flight professionals to patients requiring emergency medical care and transports the patient to the appropriate medical facility.

About Mercy Medical Center:Living the traditions, visions and values of the Sisters of Mercy, Mercy Medical Center–Sioux City has grown into a 238-bed (staffed) regional center that meets the needs of residents in a 33-county area. Mercy is the only Level-II Trauma Center in western Iowa and is one of only four trauma care facilities in the state of Iowa to receive verification from the American College of Surgeons.  Mercy is fully accredited by the Joint Commission, a nationally-recognized organization that evaluates health care organizations to ensure they are providing safe and effective care of the highest quality and value.  Mercy is among the top 5% in the nation for stroke care and also has 5-star HealthGrade ratings in coronary interventional procedures, treatment of heart failure, total knee replacement surgery, treatment of stroke and appendectomy.

Mercy provides an entire continuum of preventive, primary, acute and tertiary healthcare services and is nationally recognized in several clinical areas.  Mercy Medical Services, a partner to the medical center, operates 30 family practice and 9 specialty clinics in Iowa and Nebraska.  Additionally, Mercy owns Baum Harmon Mercy Hospital in Primghar, Iowa and Oakland Mercy Hospital in Oakland, Nebraska, and manages Hawarden Community Hospital in Hawarden, Iowa, and Pender Community Hospital in Pender, Nebraska.  Mercy Medical Center–Sioux City is a member of Trinity Health of Novi, Michigan, the fourth largest Catholic healthcare system in the nation and the Mercy Health Network of Iowa.