ARCH Air Medical Service
ARCH Air Medical Service (ARCH was an initialism for Area Rescue Consortium of Hospitals) is an emergency medical service (EMS) that provides critical care air ambulance service in Missouri, Illinois, and the surrounding regions. Air ambulance programs (also known as Medevac) offer transport by helicopter (rotor-wing) or fixed-wing aircraft. ARCH Air was the twelfth program in the U.S. to offer such services when it began operating in March 1979. Transporting approximately 4,200 patients per year by helicopter, ARCH aircraft are staffed by a pilot, nurse and paramedic. Flights are 80% inter-facility (hospital to  hospital) and 20% scene. Transport is also provided for specialty teams from St Mary's Health Center obstetrics, Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital, St. John's Mercy Medical Center, Creve Coeur neonatal, St. Francis Medical Center, Cape Girardeau neonatal, Southeast Missouri Hospital Cape Girardeau neonatal, and St. John's Hospital, Springfield, IL neonatal, University of Missouri Children's Transport Service Peds and Neonate. Current Arch Air Medical Service bases. The Helicopter Service area is around 150 miles around each base. In 2014, Arch relabeled all of its bases and now the call sign doesn't change regardless of the aircraft  in use. In 2013, Arch closed its fixed wing program due to low volumes and the parent company, Air Methods, providing this service through their newly acquired company American Jets. In 2012, Air Methods opened its central dispatching center in Omaha, Nebraska and Arch dispatch was removed from service. Also included in the Arch region are the following community-based services. The following hospital-based services are sister programs of Arch and are owned and operated by Air Methods.