The Children's Service Board Transport Program
The team of professionals that make up the Children's Service Board Transport Program is a Midwest leader in neonatal and pediatric transport and a trusted resource for families.
The team provides air or ground provides air or ground transportation of critically ill or injured infants and children to Children's Memorial Hospital. Approximately 73 percent of all patients transported to Children's Memorial from other local hospitals are admitted directly into one of the intensive care units.
Upon arrival, the infant or child receives the support and services of a renowned hospital specializing in the health care of children —anesthesiologists, radiologists, surgeons, intensive care physicians, nurses, technicians — all of whom specialize in pediatrics and are present around the clock, seven days a week.
Children's Memorial serves as the primary pediatric trauma center for the city of Chicago and the greater metropolitan area, with a highly-experienced ground and air transport team that is on-call 24-hours a day, every day of the year.
Though the program's usual radius is 200 miles, the team can make arrangements for any transport world wide. Unique in the Chicago area, the group of highly skilled medical professionals are all certified and trained in:
- Advanced cardiac life support
- Pediatric advanced life support
- Acute stabilization of the critically ill or injured infant or child.
Children's Memorial Hospital is designated by the state as a Level 1 pediatric trauma center (the highest level possible for pediatric trauma) and the diagnostic radiology services and pathology laboratories are among the most comprehensive in the Chicago area.
The neonatal unit is designated by the State of Illinois Perinatal Network as a Level III nursery — which indicates it is able to provide the highest-level intensive care possible for newborns.
Conditions most commonly transported by the team are respiratory distress (for a wide variety of reasons), seizures, system infections, trauma and serious newborn illnesses.
Requests for transport
Requests for transport are accepted from any physician. Referring hospital staff may call requesting transport service, but the referral must be initiated by a physician. The team will need all pertinent information regarding the history of the illness or condition, current vital signs and results of laboratory testing. This information is necessary for the team to determine whether to transport the child by air or ground and which team members will be needed.