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St. John's Children's Hospital pediatric/neonatal transport unit ready for patients

SPRINGFIELD - St. John's Children's Hospital today officially unveiled a new ambulance for its specially trained neonatal intensive care, pediatric and maternal transport teams.  Equipped with the latest medical technology, this ambulance is only used as a mobile intensive care unit for mothers, infants and children.

"Having the ambulance and transport teams on call 24/7 allows us to extend pediatric services to more communities in our region," said Dr. Mark Puczynski, Children's Hospital Medical Director and SIU Department of Pediatrics Chair. "Since our transport teams started earlier this year, we've even seen a couple cases where the ambulance was able to pick up patients more quickly than a helicopter."

Area hospitals and pediatricians can request the ambulance transport young patients to St. John's Children's Hospital's Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit or Pediatric Intensive Care Unit simply by calling a dedicated hotline, 1-877-ALL-4KIDS, which is answered 24 hours a day.

"On average, our transport teams can be on the road within 12 minutes of a request for emergency transportation of an infant, child or expectant mother within our 35-county region," said Children's Hospital Administrator Peggy Curtin. "Each team includes a registered nurse and respiratory therapist specially trained to care for patients who need urgent care during transport to the hospital."

The ambulance includes the ability to transport high-risk neonatal patients in a portable isolette. It has space for a parent to ride with the child and a DVD player so children can watch a movie if they feel up to it. With its colorful exterior, the ambulance is also easily recognizable.

St. John's Children's Hospital combines the faculty resources of SIUSchool of Medicine with the pediatric facilities and services of St. John'sHospital. It was recognized for membership in October 2005 by the National Association for Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions (NACHRI). The Children's Hospital Web site is www.sjchildrens.org.