Transport Team

Ca​ll 312.227.3700 to Arrange Transport

Lurie Children’s Transport Team, a Midwest leader in neonatal and pediatric transport, offers reliable critical care experts 24 hours a day, seven days a week. One phone call (from a physician) to 312.227.3700 offers accessibility to specialists and services including our Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Lefkofsky Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and Regenstein Cardiac Critical Care Unit.

The team provides air and ground transport for critically ill or injured infants and children to Lurie Children's. Most patients transported to Lurie Children's from referral hospitals are admitted directly into one of our 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.

Lurie Children's serves as the primary pediatric trauma center for the city of Chicago and the greater metropolitan area. The 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 team can make arrangements for any transport worldwide. Dispatched from our main location in Chicago and from our Outpatient Center in Westchester, a transport has never been easier; transfer is provided by ground ambulance, helicopter or fixed-wing aircraft.

The Transport Team received the 2015 Association of Air Medical Services (AAMS) Neonatal and Pediatric Transport Award of Excellence. Learn more about the award in the video below.

Qualifications

Unique in the Chicago area, the group of highly-skilled professionals are all certified and trained in:

  • Neonatal resuscitation
  • Advanced cardiac life support
  • Pediatric advanced life support
  • Acute stabilization of the critically ill or injured infant or child

The neonatal unit is designated by the State of Illinois Perinatal Network as a Level III nursery and is able to provide the highest-level intensive care possible for newborns.

CAMTS Accreditation 

The Transport Team received accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS), making Lurie Children’s the first neonatal-pediatric specialty transport team in Illinois and the region, and one of only 13 in the country to obtain this prestigious recognition of quality. CAMTS is an independent, non-profit agency which audits and accredits transports teams throughout the country and the world in all modes of transport: ground, helicopter and fixed wing. CAMTS standards were developed to establish measures in support of safety and quality care in the medical transport industry.

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 use air transportation or transport by ground and which team members will be needed.

Continuing Education & Recognition

The team has the distinction of being the first pediatric-neonatal transport team in Illinois. These highly accomplished critical care providers are dedicated to continuing education and professional development. They have organized and presented annual regional conferences to showcase important topics of pediatric and neonatal care, presented lectures both nationally and internationally, and published articles and chapters for pediatric transport texts. Team members regularly attend conferences to stay current in transport practices and standards and to network with other transport programs.

Over the years, the team has received significant recognition including the Lurie Children's Earl J. Frederick Leadership in Healthcare Award, and in 2004, the Ron W. Lee Excellence in Pediatric Care Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Illinois Emergency Medical Services for Children. The team is a member of the Association of Air Medical Services​ (AAMS) the Illinois Association of Air and Critical Care Transport (IAACCT).

Patient & Family Satisfaction

Always seeking to provide the best possible health care experience for children and families, the transport team has initiated programs to help improve patient satisfaction, relations with referring physicians and staff and patient outcomes. Parents receive satisfaction surveys with each transport, and are highly encouraged to share their thoughts on ways Lurie Children's might be able to improve services. The team also started a program to provide follow-up information on clinical outcomes to referring hospital staff that stabilize patients for transport and have started a quarterly newsletter to provide education on common disease processes that require transport to a pediatric tertiary care center.

Contact Us

If you’d like to learn more about the members of the transport team, please e-mail us. You can also reach out to the following team members:

  • Audre Pocius, MSN, RNC-NIC, Director, Interfacility Transport, at 312.227.1102

  • Laura Westley, BSN, MSM, RN, Sr. Director of Interfacility Transport, at 312.227.3712

  • Robert E. Newmyer, MD, Medical Director, Transport Team, at 312.227.5359

We Appreciate Your Feedback

Help us improve the transport services we provide to your children or the patients you care for by completing a survey on our feedback site. Click here to take the survey.

Supporters

Nursing and critical care medicine are supported by The Children's Service Board, Mr. and Mrs. John H. Krehbiel, Jr., and The Founders' Board​, among others.

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