Akron Children's Hospital Transport Services and Air Bear

Akron Children's Hospital Transport Services is a specialized hospital transport program based in Akron, Ohio. The service focuses on transferring critically ill or injured newborns, infants, children, and pediatric and adult burn patients safely to Akron Children's Hospital. The transport team includes nurses, paramedics, and respiratory therapists who have at least three years of critical care experience. They undergo ongoing training in pediatric and adult advanced life support, burn life support, newborn resuscitation, and other critical care skills.

Transport services are provided by both ground and air ambulances. Akron Children's operates five mobile intensive care ground units, with four located at the Akron campus and one at the Mahoning Valley Beeghly campus. These units are equipped with specialized pediatric and neonatal equipment including ventilators, defibrillators, and specialty gases like nitric oxide and heliox. The ground teams include a neonatal critical care team and an advanced life support (ALS) team staffed by paramedics.

The air transport service uses Air Bear®, Ohio's first pediatric-dedicated helicopter, operated by Med-Trans Corporation based in Dallas, Texas. Air Bear® flights include a Med-Trans pilot, a hospital transport nurse, a respiratory therapist, and a paramedic. The helicopter serves community hospitals across northern Ohio for urgent medical transport. The interior of both the ground units and Air Bear® are designed with artwork, music, and videos to help reduce stress and fear for child patients.

Akron Children's Transport Services is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems. Continuous communication with a medical control physician is maintained during all transports to ensure the highest level of care. The transfer center team coordinates admissions and dispatches transport teams. Separate contact numbers are provided for pediatric and burn patient transfers from various hospitals.

The transport team specializes in critical care transport for neonates and pediatric patients, including those with burn injuries. Service locations include the Akron main campus and Mahoning Valley, supporting transfers throughout northern Ohio. The program emphasizes child-friendly care and equipment matched to the needs of pediatric patients.

Akron Children's Hospital Transport Services maintains high standards for education and training of its transport professionals. Certifications include Pediatric Advanced Life Support, Advanced Cardiac Life Support, Advanced Burn Life Support, Neonatal Resuscitation Program, and Pediatric Fundamental Critical Care Support. These certifications ensure the team's competency for complex critical care transport missions.

Overall, the program delivers specialized ground and air transport for critically ill and injured children and burn patients. It combines hospital-based medical expertise with professional transport crews and child-focused equipment and environment. The service enhances access to advanced pediatric and burn critical care in the northern Ohio region.

Services

• Critical Care Transport
• Neonatal Transport
• Pediatric Transport
• Burn Patient Transport
• Ground Mobile Intensive Care Units
• Advanced Life Support (ALS) Ground Transport
• Pediatric Air Transport by Air Bear® Helicopter
• Transfer Center Coordination
• Invasive and Non-invasive Cardio-respiratory Monitoring
• Specialty Gas Transport (Nitric Oxide, Heliox)