SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The UC Davis Medical Center will no longer operate its own Life Flight helicopter, hospital officials announced Friday.

The move means 21 Life Flight staff members, including nurses, dispatchers and managers, will lose their jobs.

Nurses said the move also means patients will have fewer resources to serve them, but hospital officials said they must concentrate on the hospital's core mission.

"It is time for us to step back and begin to focus on the things that I think are a greater threat to the community at the moment ... and that is bed capacity, physicians, nurse availability ... all those things that you've heard about," UCDMC CEO Robert Chason said.

"I do feel that there will be a negative impact on the children of this community and the community, as well. I was told by a top administrator of this hospital that this is an academic facility and they have no commitment to the community,' Life Flight nurse Christy Adams said.

The UC Davis Medical Center will now use outside helicopter services for medical transportation -- companies such as CalStar and Reach Air Services.

The $2 million normally allotted for the Life Flight helicopter lease will be redirected to pediatric ground transportation, according to UCDMC officials.