Critical care transport open
As rain falls this morning, Bill Pennock of rural McCook, center, a pilot for LifeTeam Critical Care Transport of Newton, Kansas, explains to Alan Gunther, left, and McCook city manager Kurt Fritsch that few weather conditions will ground the LifeTeam Beechcraft King Air C90 turboprop stationed at McCook Ben Nelson Regional Airport as of Oct. 14. During an open house at the new LifeTeam base at the McCook airport, McCook residents were introduced to flight paramedic Clay Cox, flight nurse Diane Simmonds RN and pilots Troy Yoder, Dan Bergman, Cory Harmon, Dustin Larson and Pennock; more members of the team will fill rotations for the 24/7, on-staff, on-call full-time service. Cox said that while the King Air flies one patient at a time, the company has other planes, in Liberal and Great Bend, Kansas, available to respond. "You call us with a need, we're going to fill that need," Cox told city, Chamber of Commerce and Community Hospital representatives. Jim Ulrich, CEO of Community Hospital, said he is pleased that McCook has another great option -- in addition to the Good Samaritan Hospital long-haul ground ambulance service and the Midwest MedAir helicopter based in North Platte -- for response to illness and accident.