Transport Services
Request the Transport Team via our dedicated Children's Transfer Line:
844-977-KIDS (844-977-5437)
View our
Service Area and estimated flight time map
What information do you need to provide when setting up a transport?
- Gestational age, prenatal care provided and birth weight
- Diagnosis
- Focused history and assessment findings
What happens when a transport is initiated?
After you call (844) 977–KIDS (5437), our trained transfer center
staff will arrange the logistics. This unique service simplifies the process
of transferring a patient, connecting you to the physician, hospital and
your transport team.
Can a parent travel with the child during transport?
During transfer by ambulance, one parent rider may accompany his or her
child. During helicopter transfers, parents are not able to accompany
their child due to flight and safety restrictions.
Covenant Children's Transport Team provides a state-of-the-art mobile
intensive care unit for transport of critically ill pediatric and neonatal
patients. We are available 24/7 and serve referral sites throughout West
Texas/Panhandle Plains and Eastern New Mexico.
Covenant Children’s Transport Team is the
only unit in our Region dedicated exclusively to children and neonates.
Calls to 844-977-KIDS will be answered by our transfer center. Trauma and
most other patients will be auto-accepted and referring facilities have
the option to be immediately connected to a pediatric physician specialist,
a transport nurse,or a NNP, to help facilitate care during the transfer.
We Auto-Accept ALL Pediatric Transfers
Most facilities require that they can verify they have the specialists
available before they'll accept a patient. This results in a lot of
wasted time - with long holds and/or calls back and forth required. We
eliminate that step by auto-accepting all pediatric transfers. We're
able to do this by having a breadth and depth of providers to where we
can confidently say we'll have the required critical care physicians
and/or specialists available to respond. This is primarily done via extensive
call schedules of pediatric specialists. There are very few specialties
(nephrology, cardiovascular surgery, etc.) where we do not have immediately
availability and it's possible we will suggest the patient be transferred
to another Texas Children's hospital such as Cook or Texas Children's.
Why Pediatric Transport?
Medical transportation of children over substantial distances involves
distinct challenges and requires specially trained teams of health care
professionals.
Covenant Children’s brings intensive care nursing and respiratory
care services to the referring institution and then assumes care for the
patient will in transit to Covenant Children's. The team serves children
who require intensive monitoring and continuation of intensive care therapies
while en route to Covenant Children’s.
- Our unique dispatch center is staffed to provide fast, courteous service
to the hospitals and physicians that contact Covenant Children’s
for patient referral, consultation, and transport services.
- Callers to Covenant's Children's line will be connected with a
physician, a transport RN, RRT, and/or a NNP.
Flight Team Proficiencies
Team members are dedicated to ambulance and flight safety, as well as educated
in advanced practice skills. For example, our transport teams respiratory
capabilities include high flow nasal canula, non-invasive ventilation,
nasal CPAP, and inhaled Nitric Oxide. Other capabilities include:
For Neonatal Transport:
- Advanced airway management, including intubations
- High frequency ventilation
- Inhaled Nitric Oxide (INO)
- ECMO evaluations
- High-risk deliveries and neonatal resuscitation
- UAC/UVC placement
- Active total body cooling
Certifications including BLS, PALS, NRP, and STABLE are required of neonatal
flight team members.
For Pediatric Transports:
- Advanced airway management, including intubations
- Advanced respiratory support
- Needle thoracostomy
- IO placement
- ECMO evaluations
- Initiation and management of inotropes
Certifications including BLS, PALS, ACLS, TNCC, ENPC, NRP and STABLE are
required of the pediatric flight team members.
Transport Follow-Up
Following the transport, a member of our Transport Team will communicate
with the referring physician regarding the patient progress and outcome.
After discharge, a written summary will be sent so the continuity of care
can be maintained.