In November 1993 Ministry Health Care launched Spirit Medical Transportation services to provide ground and air medical transport services to the people of central and northern Wisconsin.  The year marks the 15th anniversary of that founding and a long history of service to the region.

The Spirit Medical Transportation Services' mission is to provide comprehensive, regionally integrated ground and air transportation for adult, pediatric, neonatal, and high-risk obstetrical critical care patients from referral institutions and scenes of injury.  The Spirit Medical Transportation Services was started in Marshfield at Saint Joseph’s Hospital but as the service has grown it has evolved into a new MHC organization with ground bases in Weston, Woodruff, and Rhinelander.

Providing interfacility transportation for patients requiring advanced life support (ALS) or critical care management to or from tertiary hospitals is of particular importance, and is one of the primary reasons for using Spirit services.  The Spirit Medical Transportation Services was also designed to support, supplement, and assist local and regional ambulances and other emergency services, which play the initial key role in any emergency medical transport.

Nurses and paramedics staff the helicopter and each of the ground ambulance bases. Transport nurses have several years of critical care and emergency department experience. Our paramedics are well trained in critical care and advanced skills and also have several years in emergency medical services.

On average, the Spirit helicopter flies over 600 missions a year while the ground transport teams average over 2900 calls.  The combined team provides the most comprehensive medical transport service in the region.

High-risk newborns that need specialized care and treatment are often transferred to Saint Joseph's Hospital Level III NICU.  For these transports, the Spirit Medical Transportation Service crew is joined by a neonatal transport nurse and respiratory therapist. This team has advanced training in the stabilization and care of critically ill neonatal patients during transport.

In looking back over the fifteen year history of the program, Saint Joseph’s Hospital Executive Vice President Terri Richards noted, “our program has grown to continue to meet the needs of our communities with a highly skilled team that pays special attention to safety.  The Spirit crews demonstrate every day our commitment to quality and the highest level of patient care.”

The 15th Anniversary will be celebrated over the next year with a variety of events and activities across the region.  As the anniversary year comes to a close the program will take ownership of the new American Eurocopter EC145 helicopter, one of the most advanced airships in service for medical transportation today.

• Covers a 35 county radius
• This team effort of more than 100 employees is comprised of: nurses, paramedics, pilots, ambulance drivers, communication specialists, support staff, and mechanics
• Top transport types are: cardiac, medical, trauma
• Average flight run is 1.4 hours
• Helicopter can travel between 150-170 mph under normal flight conditions

Mock Calls

The Spirit helicopter participates in many mock car accidents staged at high schools in central Wisconsin reminding students not to drink and drive. The flight paramedics, nurses, and pilots respond as if they were real calls.

Virtual Tour

Click here to view a virtual tour of the Spirit Medical Transportation Services Helicopter.