St. John's Regional Medical Center Heliport

The heliport was permanently closed due to the catastrophic destruction of the St. John's Regional Medical Center by a massive EF5 tornado that struck Joplin on May 22, 2011. The tornado scored a direct hit on the hospital, rendering the entire facility, including the heliport, structurally unsound and inoperable. The damage was so extensive that the hospital had to be evacuated and was later demolished, making the heliport's function obsolete.

The site of the former St. John's Regional Medical Center and its heliport has been completely redeveloped. Following the demolition of the tornado-ravaged hospital, the land was repurposed. In 2017, the Kansas City University - Joplin (KCU-Joplin) College of Osteopathic Medicine opened on the site. The exact location of the former heliport is now part of this modern medical school campus, which serves to train future physicians for the region.

The St. John's Regional Medical Center Heliport was a critical piece of emergency medical infrastructure for Joplin and the surrounding four-state area (Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas). As the primary landing zone for a major Level II Trauma Center, it handled vital air ambulance and medical evacuation (medevac) operations. Helicopters from services like EagleMed and others frequently used the heliport to rapidly transport critically injured or ill patients from accident scenes or smaller regional hospitals. Its operation was integral to the hospital's ability to provide life-saving care, significantly reducing transport times for patients in need of immediate, specialized medical attention.

There are zero prospects for the St. John's Regional Medical Center Heliport (US-10406) to reopen at its original location. The hospital it served no longer exists. However, the medical services and heliport function were re-established at a new location. A new, state-of-the-art hospital, Mercy Hospital Joplin, was constructed approximately 3 miles southeast of the original site and opened in March 2015. This new facility operates its own modern rooftop heliport (Mercy Hospital Joplin Heliport, FAA LID: 17MO), which has fully replaced the role and function of the destroyed heliport.