Neonatal pediatric critical care transport team expanding at Children’s & Women’s Hospital
In the last 12 months, 761 neonatal and pediatric patients were transferred to Children’s & Women’s Hospital from outlying facilities.
By Casandra Andrews
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To help premature infants and ill or injured children get the care they need when every second counts, USA Health Children’s & Women’s Hospital is celebrating the expansion of its neonatal pediatric critical care transport team with a ceremony and blessing at 10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 1.
The specialized air and ground service, named Cub Crew, is designed to safely bring critically ill newborns and children by helicopter or transport vehicle to the hospital from locations across the Gulf Coast.
“For more than four decades, our incredible neonatal intensive care and pediatric intensive care teams have been transporting critically ill patients by ground ambulance to receive higher levels of care at Children’s & Women’s Hospital,” said Brooke Olson, nurse manager for the team. “We are deeply proud of that legacy, and we’re excited to build upon it.”
In the last 12 months, 761 neonatal and pediatric patients were transferred to Children’s & Women’s Hospital from outlying facilities, Olson said. “Now, with the addition of a dedicated critical care transport team,” she said, “staffed and ready to respond by air or ground, we’re significantly reducing response times and improving timely access to specialized care —ultimately leading to better outcomes for our most vulnerable patients.”
The new Cub Crew team is partnering with Air Methods and USA Health SouthFlight, because in critical care situations, minutes matter, Olson said. Using rotor wing transport can reduce transport time by two to three times, bringing intensive care unit level of care to patients much sooner.
