As a 501(c3) non-profit organization, LifeFlight Eagle’s commitment to the community extends beyond flying critically ill and injured patients.
As a state-designated training center in Missouri, LifeFlight Eagle provides free clinical training and education for personnel from fire departments, EMS agencies and community hospitals.
Facing budget shortfalls, many agencies have had to trim or eliminate their training budgets, negatively impacting their staff’s ability to remain licensed and certified, said Matt Daugherty, LifeFlight Eagle’s director of business development.
He said LifeFlight Eagle was in a unique position to help fill the gap.
“Because of the wide geography we serve, we interact with more than 200 emergency services organizations,” Daugherty said. “We already provide an average of 1,000 hours of safety and clinical training each year, but demand has skyrocketed over the past few years. We recognize the need, and we want to do more.”
With the help of individual donors and foundations, Daugherty said LifeFlight Eagle is launching a campaign to expand its outreach education and launch a mobile simulation program.
“It will significantly increase our ability to provide both basic and advanced classes for emergency responders,” Daugherty said “Our simulation program will then allow them to practice those life-saving techniques in a realistic environment.”
“That combination of classroom training and simulation has been shown to significantly improve patient outcomes. That’s our real goal. We want to help prepare emergency responders in each community to have an even more positive impact on the survival rates of their citizens.”
Daugherty said the $1.5 million campaign was designed in a multi-phased approach that would allow the organization to add classes and ramp up its education capacity and capability as funding sources are identified and secured.
LifeFlight Eagle CEO Roxanne Shanks said she was excited about LifeFlight Eagle’s future, and its expanded role as a non-profit resource in the region.
“Our core mission has always been to provide safe, reliable transport of critically ill and injured patients, and that won’t change,” Shanks said. “Our vision is that LifeFlight Eagle will continue to grow beyond a helicopter ambulance program, to provide innovative solutions for emergency services organizations, and to help improve patient outcomes throughout the communities we serve.”
You can make a tax-deductible donation online at https://www.lifeflighteagle.org/index.php/support-our-mission, or mail a check to:
LifeFlight Eagle
7830 NW 100th Street
Kansas City, MO 64153
