SLCH News: Fully Dedicated Air Transport Service Debuts
In July, St. Louis Children’s Hospital (SLCH) introduced KidsFlight, its air transport service dedicated solely to the hospital’s patients. The service consists of a new helicopter and fixed-wing plane, both configured specifically for the needs of neonate and pediatric patients. “Since the 1980s, Children’s Hospital has shared air transport services with Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital, but in recent years our volume of transport patients has grown significantly,” says Celeste Capers, MD, medical director of SLCH’s transport team. “We felt we needed to establish a transport service that allowed us to leave faster and arrive sooner, thus providing the best possible care and service to our patients.”
The hospital’s new air vendor provider is Omniflight Helicopters Inc., which owns and operates the aircraft. A paramedic and two registered nurses make up the transport teams. Depending upon the condition of the child, the team may also include a physician or other specialist. Three fully-staffed teams are available to respond 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“Our transport team members were responsible for designing the interiors of both aircraft to accommodate neonate and pediatric patients,” says Kathy Donovan, RN, BSN, CNPT, manager of SLCH’s transport team. “That includes specialized ventilators, monitors and pediatric airway equipment, IVs and medications. We also carry all of the comfort items needed by pediatric patients—pacifiers, bottles, baby blankets, and for older children on longer flights we have game boys and portable DVD players to watch movies.”
Currently, SLCH’s transport team conducts an average of 50 air transports a month. Once that number reaches 55, a second helicopter—now used as a standby to ensure constant availability—will go into permanent use.
“There is no doubt that our KidsFlight transport will continue to grow,” says Dr. Capers. “We already see a greater need because of the financial constraints of smaller communities, which in some cases only have one ambulance to serve their populations. They are unable to spare that ambulance for transporting a pediatric patient to Children’s Hospital hours away, so our three mobile intensive care units, helicopter and plane are filling that need. This greater demand combined with our expanding services is resulting in our transport team becoming an even greater asset to our referring physicians and hospitals.”
