Air Methods, the leading air medical service provider, will celebrate the 30th Anniversary of its StarCare base on April 13 at 1:30 p.m. CT at Silverhawk Aviation in Lincoln. A special reception will be held there to honor the clinicians, crew and other staff who have been a part of the base’s history.

StarCare is owned and operated by Air Methods and serves the Lincoln metropolitan area and southeastern Nebraska. Since it opened in 1989, StarCare has flown more than 13,000 missions and cared for more than 12,800 patients. StarCare is one of Air Methods’ longest-serving bases, opening just nine years after the company was founded, and was notably the first base in Nebraska with a dedicated fixed-wing aircraft for air medical missions.

“We are tremendously proud of this milestone anniversary for StarCare, especially as it marks 30 years of delivering safe, reliable and high-quality care and transport to the residents and visitors of Lincoln and the surrounding areas,” said Air Methods regional business manager Ryan Penrose. “We’re looking forward to StarCare delivering excellence in care and air medical services for another 30 years and beyond as the community they serve continues to grow.”

Proud History of Service
StarCare and the region it serves have both seen significant changes since StarCare’s founding in 1989. StarCare serves a large and diverse geographical area, including the Lincoln Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has grown from a population of 211,000 in 1989 and to more than 331,500 today. StarCare has added new team members and aircraft in that time to serve its steadily expanding service area.

StarCare V began as a joint project between Bryan Memorial Hospital, Lincoln General Hospital, Saint Elizabeth Community Health Center, Eastern Ambulance Service, and LinAire Inc. Over the next 16 years, King Air 100 and 200 fixed-wing aircraft outfitted for medical service were used as the service evolved. In 1994, after years of growth, a BK117 helicopter was put in service on a six-month trial basis and StarCare soon determined the rotor service would become a staple at the base.

In 2005, StarCare began using its iconic blue and silver star paint scheme that is now highly recognized in the skies of southeast Nebraska. Most recently, in 2014, StarCare inaugurated a Bell 407GX helicopter painted with the Air Methods’ traditional red, white and blue paint design.

The base is also highly involved in its community, offering emergency medical training classes to area first-responders, tours to residents and community leaders, and actively participating in fundraisers for local organizations.