Neonatal and Pediatric Specialty Transport Services
The Neonatal and Pediatric Specialty Transport Services at Children’s Health℠ offer specialized transport services by air and ground for premature infants and children. Research shows that neonatal and pediatric patients transported by a specialty team have fewer unplanned events during transport and improved outcomes. For this reason, we will be there when you and your patients need us.
In recognition of its rapid response to a serious traffic accident that helped save the lives of several children, the Neonatal/Pediatric Transport Team at Children’s Health of Dallas is the 2022 recipient of the Helicopter Association International Salute to Excellence Golden Hour Award. Children’s Health, one of the nation’s largest pediatric health systems, transported more than 5,000 patients in 2021.
Children’s Health Transport team offers more than 33 years of nationally recognized neonatal and pediatric transport expertise. Our team is an industry leader that is staffed by multidisciplinary professionals.
We’re by your side® to provide the highest quality of care, including:
- Regional, national and international patient transports
- A variety of transport vehicles to provide an urgent and appropriate response, including:
- 12 neonatal/pediatric-equipped ambulances
- 1 Citation Encore jet
- 1 Sikorsky S76 C++ helicopter
- Dual pilots on aircrafts for an added level of safety
- Specially equipped vehicles and aircrafts that can accommodate critical care needs including:
- Nitric oxide
- High-frequency ventilation
- Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)
- Therapeutic cooling of the neonate
- An infectious disease response team
- The ability for a family member to accompany the patient on most transports
- Critical care nurses, Registered Respiratory Therapists (NPS), and Paramedic team availability
- Available for third-party transfers between two facilities
Program overview
Staffed with a dedicated critical care team 24 hours a day, Transport Services coordinates all aspects of transfers and transports. From the time a transport is requested, an Attending Physician from Children’s Health will be involved to provide ongoing medical advice while the transport team mobilizes.
Children’s Health Transport Services was the first neonatal/pediatric team in the nation to receive the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems’ (CAMTS) accreditation in all three modes of transport – ground, helicopter and fixed-wing. Transport team members are required to have a variety of certifications, including BLS, ACLS, PALS and NRP, as well as advanced trauma certifications such as ATCN, ATLS or TNCC, and transport specialty certifications.
Our Transport Services team provides multidisciplinary care and can manage a wide variety of diagnoses and complications throughout the transport. The team is supported by board-certified physicians in specialties such as neonatology, critical care, emergency care and trauma.
Rotorwing services provided by PHI Air Medical, Fixed wing services provided by SevenBar Aviation
Our Access Center
One phone call to the Children’s Health Access Center at 888-730-DOCS (3627) is all it takes to mobilize our transport team. Upon receiving a call, our Communication Specialists will contact the appropriate accepting physician and arrange transport or admission.
The referring physician will determine the most appropriate mode of transportation based on the patient’s location and acuity (ambulance, helicopter or jet). One family member may accompany the patient on any mode of transport. Upon arrival at the facility, our team will immediately begin care. The Children’s Health Access Center is staffed with National Association of Air Communication Specialists (NAACS) certified, in-house Communication Specialists 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
When requesting a transfer to Children’s Health, please provide as much of the following patient information as possible:
- Patient name and date of birth (or gestational age if applicable)
- Purpose of transport
- Current diagnosis
- Vital signs
- Respiratory status and ventilator support
- Current medications
- Patient condition
Our transport team
- Care begins at first contact with the Access Center at Children’s Health
- Our team is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Service (CAMTS)
- All members are trained in the care of neonatal, pediatric patients and are prepared to handle a wide range of patient needs
- Requires all RNs and RRTs to be licensed as dual credentialed EMTs or paramedics
- Experienced with high-frequency, jet ventilation and inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) and ECMO and therapeutic cooling of neonate
- Utilizes ventilators capable of multiple modes of ventilation that are appropriate for neonatal and pediatric patients
- Communicates with neonatal and pediatric specialists at Children’s Health 24 hours a day
- Ambulances and crews based in Dallas and Plano
- Traveled over five million ground miles without major incident
- Travels more than 400,000 ground miles annually
Our vehicles
Ambulances
- 12 custom built owned and operated ambulances featuring:
- Specialty neonatal, pediatric, and ECMO equipment which is secured during all transit
- Horton ambulances mounted on Ford F 550 chassis
- Liquid spring struts- a suspension system designed to provide a more smoother ride for our most fragile patients
- Powerload stretcher loading system- A stretcher fastener system that helps boost safety by supporting the stretcher throughout the loading and unloading of the patient to ensure a smooth transition and bolting the stretcher into the floor for reduced stretcher release risk during incidents
- Ground School and Driving Course required annually for all personnel who drive
- Five point harness with retractable harness restraints to allow all medical crew to stay restrained during transport while still providing quality patient care
- Back up and blind spot cameras
- Auxiliary generator power for electrical, heating and cooling
- Global Positioning System
- Wifi for electronic charting and Telemedicine capabilities
Helicopter
- Sikorsky S76C++
- 2 pilot operations
- Multi-engine aircraft
- State of the art avionics
- Helicopter Terrain Awareness and Warning System (HTAWS)
- Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS)
- Four axis autopilot
- High tech weather radar and GPS tracking
- Multi-channel radio and Satellite phone
- Maximum capacity of 2 patients, 3 person medical crew, and parent as situation dictates.
Jet
- Citation Encore
- 2 pilot operations
- Multi-engine aircraft
- Straight wing design for shorter runways
- Increased fuel capacity and fuel efficient engines resulting in greater range
- 2 patient capability
- Intercom system for enhanced communication with pilots
- Satellite phone
Education outreach
The transport team at Children’s Health also offers educational outreach opportunities for health care providers. To contact the transport team at Children’s Health for community outreach or hospital education programs, please call 214-456-2975.
Behavioral health transportation
We offer a Behavioral Health patient transport service to accepting inpatient psychiatric facilities via a modified non-ambulance vehicle as part of our patient care transfer obligations. This service will be free of charge as there is a not a separate charge for this component of our medical services. Patients will have to meet specific eligibility criteria as determined by the medical and transport providers to be transported via this service. Patients requiring ambulatory assistive devices (e.g., wheelchairs) may require transport via a medically-equipped vehicle such as our traditional ground ambulances.
View the Children’s Health Drug-Free Workplace policy for intoxicating substances. To report complaints to the City of Dallas, call 311 or visit 311 Department page">DallasCityHall.com (Ord. 29696).