(WDNews) USA Health Children’s & Women’s Hospital’s critical care transport service has expanded, giving children in the Wiregrass area of southeast Alabama faster access to life-saving neonatal and pediatric care.
An expanded Cub Crew—a group of nurses, respiratory therapists, and paramedics committed around-the-clock to air or ground transport of critically sick neonates and children—was introduced by USA Health in a ceremony on August 1 at Children’s & Women’s Hospital in Mobile.
761 neonatal and pediatric patients from nearby hospitals along the Gulf Coast were securely transported by Cub Crew via ground transport during the last 12 months alone; some of these transfers took place in the Wiregrass region.
The team can now reach farther-flung locations thanks to the installation of rotor-wing (helicopter) transportation. When compared to ground transportation, Wiregrass Medical Centers reduced travel times by two to three times.
According to Cub Crew nursing manager Brooke Olson, every child should have the greatest access to specialist care, regardless of where they reside. In the past, the crew relied on long ground journeys that may take up to 90 or 120 minutes, but she stressed that sometimes they arrived too late. Response times are much shortened by the increased air capacity, she said.
Deborah Browning, CEO, went on to say, “Time is critical.” Better results are obtained the sooner we can send our intensive care teams to those hospitals and begin treatment. As specialized isolette-equipped vehicles become available, the air service is anticipated to commence flights this month, with neonatal flights beginning in the fall.
Through USA Health’s 24/7 Transfer Center at 1 833 USA STAT, hospitals in the Wiregrass area, including those in Houston, Dale, Coffee, and Geneva counties, can arrange patient transfers.
The only academic, independent hospital on the upper Gulf Coast dedicated exclusively to women and children is USA Health’s Children & Women’s Hospital, which also has the only Level III neonatal critical care facility in the area.
