Shortly before he was discharged after spending months in the hospital recovering from his injuries, Jackson Hill and his family had the opportunity to reunite and thank the people who helped save his life.

Research Medical Center held a Great Save Celebration to honor EMS first responders from the Johnson County Ambulance District, the flight crew from LifeFlight Eagle and numerous teams from Research that helped treat Jackson after he was critically injured in a motorcycle accident on June 13.

LifeFlight Eagle was presented with a plaque for its help with a new helipad constructed at H. Roe Bartle Scout Reservation in Osceola. Called "Scout Nest Helipad," it was dedicated in memory of James Hammontree, "Medicine Man Silver Distant Fox," who along with his wife, Linda, was the project's primary benefactor.

LifeFlight Eagle Safety Coordinator Joe Coons and Base Manager Jim Johnson represented LifeFlight Eagle at the event, which also included a fly-in by LifeFlight Eagle's Clinton-based Bell 407 helicopter.

New base in Lafayette County is closer to the communities it serves

Eagle 3 and its crew, previously based at Central Jackson County Fire Protection District Station #3 in Blue Springs, Mo., are moving to a newly built base just east of Odessa, Mo., in Lafayette County, near the intersection of state Highways M & O and Interstate 70.

LifeFlight Eagle's other helicopters will continue to operate out of their current base locations in Trenton, Harrisonville and Clinton, Mo.

LifeFlight Eagle recently completed an upgrade of its Communications Center, where all emergency medical flights are managed and tracked

After several months of planning and training, LifeFlight Eagle's Communications Specialists have moved into a new facility and are using new Computer Aided Dispatch software.

Communication Specialists are the first point of contact for local fire departments, emergency medical services or hospitals when a patient's condition requires air transport.

LifeFlight Eagle has launched a new tool to help ensure it consistently provides unparalleled service to its patients and their caregivers. LifeFlight Eagle recently partnered with RSQ911 Solutions to launch a web-based survey to gather information and feedback on each stage of a flight.

RSQ911 Solutions specializes in gathering and processing information specifically for the air-medical industry for the purpose of improving service and performance.

LifeFlight Eagle's Outreach QA process is improving speed and patient outcomes

LifeFlight Eagle has always had an internal Quality Assurance program, but in 2010, the organization embarked on an initiative to improve its already high standards of patient care by more actively engaging its partners at EMS agencies and hospitals. The goal of its Outreach Quality Assurance program is to use clinical data and evidence-based medicine to improve processes and ensure better patient outcomes.

Speeding drunk driver crashes into trailer carrying three generations of one family

It was a perfect family day. Shane and Jennifer Hall and their four children spent Saturday morning attending their oldest son's football game in Harrisonville, Mo., before heading to his parent's farm near Oak Grove to spend the rest of the day.

Shane, Jennifer and their kids help his parents grow large gardens there, and it was time to harvest the pumpkins. They hitched the hay wagon to the tractor and filled it with pumpkins from the field.

On a cold mid-November morning last year, Gayle Hunt finished fixing breakfast for her two kids and went into her bedroom to finish getting ready to head off to work. She sat down and felt an intense pain in her lower abdomen, which began creeping higher and higher into her torso.

She knew something terrible was happening.

As part of their 60th wedding anniversary celebration, Members Bob and Maurine Clem visited LifeFlight Eagle's base and helicopter in Trenton and met its crew.

When Bob Clem woke up, he felt funny.

"It felt like somebody was a sittin' on me," he remembered.

His wife was working at a 4-H camp and he was home alone, so he decided to drive himself to the doctor to get checked out.

"I thought maybe something's happening, I better go see about this. Those dumb things that you do when you don't know any better."

It turned out he was having a heart attack.

"I farmed all my life. Heck, you know, I've been bummed up, run over, kicked and everything else. It wasn't too bad."

But it was bad enough that after examining him, doctors at Wright Memorial Hospital in Trenton, Mo. knew that without specialized attention, Bob's life was in grave danger.

"I knew right away it was his heart," said Helen Ramsey. "He was setting up his guitar when he started gasping for air and he fell forward and hit his head."

Phil Ramsey's heart had stopped beating and he was in sudden cardiac arrest.

Ramsey, an active 70 year-old musician and retiree, was setting up his steel guitar and preparing for a band performance at the New Life Assembly of God church in Archie, Mo., when he collapsed.