After operating in the Quad Cities two years, University of Iowa Health Care’s AirCare formally celebrated opening a new helipad Thursday at 3385 Dexter Court, Davenport.
AirCare is Iowa’s first and longest-serving emergency air medical service. AirCare’s four helicopters and specialty ground ambulances transport critically ill and severely injured patients, using state-of-the-art medical equipment to deliver care en route with an emphasis on supporting high-risk patient populations, including multi-system trauma victims, neonates, pediatric patients, and patients with time-sensitive or complex medical conditions.
All flights are operated by Air Methods, and has served Iowa since 1979, Iowa’s first hospital-based air medical program and one of the first 15 in the U.S. AirCare has flown 4.6 million miles statewide and served 43,000+ patients as of spring 2026.
“This helipad is our fourth AirCare location in eastern Iowa, joining Waterloo, Dubuque and Iowa City,” Dr. Denise Jamieson, vice president of medical affairs for UIHC, said Thursday before a Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce ribbon-cutting.
The service has been based at the Davenport Airport since 2024, and its helicopter flights just take 25 minutes to Iowa City.
“This isn’t just about a landing pad,” Jamieson said of the new helipad, next to the existing AirCare crew quarters. “It’s really about the focus and the mission behind all this, and it’s about time. Because in emergency medicine, time matters. AirCare can fly roughly 60 miles in 30 minutes, and the care starts on the ground and continues in flight.”
“Our work at University of Iowa Health Care is expanding in the Quad Cities,” she noted. “Our goal is to keep care local and to help support communities and help support other health systems and hospitals in ensuring that all Iowans have access to high-quality health care, including emergency care.”
“To have a base here in the Quad Cities is really important for the community. It means that people can get emergency care much faster,” Jamieson said. “The helicopter crew will start care at the site; you will be loaded on the helicopter, brought to the most appropriate hospital, and receive the care they need. In emergency medicine, minutes make a difference, so it’s really important we get people the care they need quickly.”
“I am very excited about this helipad and the partnership between AirCare and Air Methods, University of Iowa Health Care,” she added. “It’s really important. Our mission at University of Iowa Health Care is to serve 3.2 million Iowans.”
“It’s important we have a coordinated system of care in Iowa, including emergency care, to make sure patients are getting where they need to go for emergency care quickly,” Jamieson said, noting AirCare serves western Illinois as well, and the helicopter will respond to the site of incidents or accidents.
She emphasized UIHC has been ranked as providing the best neonatal care in the world, for newly born infants. The most premature baby in the world was born at University of Iowa and is thriving, Jamieson said. That is Nash Keen of Ankeny, born July 5, 2024 at 21 weeks gestation at University of Iowa Health Care Stead Family Children’s Hospital.
“This is a nice opportunity for extremely premature babies to get that level of care quickly,” Jamieson said Thursday.
The AirCare fleet of helicopters and specialty transport ground ambulances are staffed by highly trained medical professionals who deliver life-saving care enroute and operate 24/7. AirCare adheres to the highest standards of safety and quality, as recognized by its Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS) accreditation, according to the service website.
“We’re focused on one goal – ensuring that patients in the Quad Cities have access to the highest level of emergency care, when they need it most,” said Dr. Melvin Donaldson, medical director of AirCare.
Brian Leonard, vice president of field operations for Air Methods, which has over 450 helicopters serving 46 states, said Thursday: “I am extremely humbled and privileged to be here today with University of Iowa Health Care.”
“It’s been a long time coming and I know we’re very excited to support the Quad Cities and the community here, combining this excellent service from a clinical perspective the University of Iowa Health Care brings, with our premier aviation and maintenance services,” he said.
AirCare has had crew quarters at a Dexter Court building since 2024, with a crew of 15 (including medical, pilots and maintenance), staffed 24/7. Each flight includes a nurse and paramedic in addition to the pilot.
“This allows them to have a faster response to the community, if there’s a request for transport,” Leonard said of the new helipad. “The crew and the aircraft are now co-located, so they can more efficiently get to the aircraft and respond to a patient’s need in the community.”
Usually, the helicopter would go to a hospital or the scene of an accident to transport the patient. “Rarely would an ambulance come here,” said AirCare lead pilot Jayson Ayres. “We try not to land on the middle of the road, but it has happened.”
The helicopter averages 125 miles an hour in transport, Ayres said. “I’ve made it back from Iowa City in 15 minutes. This month has been very busy.”
Kirby Winn of ImpactLife (which collects and provides blood products to hospitals in the region) attended Thursday’s ribbon-cutting.
“Iowa Health has its own blood center on campus, in the hospital,” he said. “But they don’t collect quite as much and we’re a provider for that, and have been for a long time. To branch out into the pre-hospital realm is a natural connection for us.”
AirCare (which serves the greater QC metro area) joins MedForce EMS in the Quad Cities for helicopter medical transport, which launched in 2000. Quad City Helicopter EMS, doing business as MedForce Aeromedical Transport, is a nonprofit company based in Colona, Illinois and West Burlington, Iowa, and provides helicopter transport from hospitals and EMS agencies in eastern Iowa and western Illinois.
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