Lurie Children's Center for Transport Medicine

The Center for Transport Medicine is part of Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. It provides neonatal and pediatric critical care transportation. The center arranges ground and air transport for critically ill and injured newborns and children. This includes transfers by ambulance, helicopter, or fixed-wing aircraft.

The service operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It accepts transfer requests from healthcare providers and coordinates patient movements both regionally and worldwide. The goal is to connect patients to the hospital’s newborn, pediatric, and cardiac intensive care units.

The transport team consists of registered nurses and respiratory therapists who have advanced skills in critical care. These professionals ensure patients receive specialized care while in transit. The center supports transfers for patients coming from a variety of locations seeking intensive and specialized care.

Lurie Children's Hospital is a Level 1 pediatric trauma center. It is nationally ranked in 11 pediatric specialties according to U.S. News & World Report. The transport team follows strict protocols and collects clinical data from the sending providers, including vital signs and medical history, to determine the best mode of transportation.

The center hosts a regional conference called Little People Big Problems and contributes to professional publications on pediatric transport. It also surveys patients, families, and referring centers to improve its services. Accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS), the center is reportedly the first neonatal and pediatric specialty transport team of its kind in Illinois.

Transfer requests must be initiated by a provider but can be called in by any staff at the sending hospital. The center supports worldwide transfers and uses advanced medical vehicles including helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft to safely transport patients. It operates from the main hospital location in Chicago and is part of a large healthcare system offering over 70 pediatric specialties.

Services

• Neonatal Critical Care Transport
• Pediatric Critical Care Transport
• Ground Transport by Ambulance
• Helicopter Transport
• Fixed-wing Aircraft Transport
• 24/7 Transfer Request Service
• Worldwide Patient Transfers
• Intensive Care Unit Transfers
• Regional Conference Hosting
• Family Experience Surveys