Story by: Kevin Wheatley on February 21, 2023
The Norton Children’s Hospital “Just for Kids” Transport Team set a new annual benchmark after a busy 2022.
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Nearly 3,000 times, the “Just for Kids” Transport Team answered calls from across Kentucky and Southern Indiana to get young patients to the critical care they needed. The record comes as the team celebrates its 45th anniversary.
“We have connected more families to the critical care they need at Norton Children’s Hospital than ever before,” said Pennie Crady, Norton Healthcare’s director of transport services and EMS. “This accomplishment is a testament to the dedication and expertise that every member brings to the Norton Children’s Hospital ‘Just for Kids’ Transport Team.”
Most of the team’s 2,985 runs were handled by ambulance. The team transported pediatric patients 2,082 times and neonatal patients 390 times by road. Another 509 transports were completed using the team’s dedicated helicopter: 372 times for pediatric patients and 137 times for neonatal patients. Four transports were completed by airplane.
Nearly 2,000 of the transports completed during 2022 originated from Jefferson County, Kentucky, the most of any county serviced by the “Just for Kids” team.
Other counties with the highest transport totals for 2022 include:
Kentucky:
Indiana:
The “Just for Kids” Transport Team began as an ambulance service for newborns in 1978. The team consists of registered nurses, respiratory therapists and EMTs who are dedicated to working with ill and injured newborn and pediatric patients. They are equipped to provide specialized care while traveling between hospitals and can transport patients anywhere in the continental U.S.
The Norton Children’s Hospital “Just for Kids” Transport Team vehicles and equipment were funded by generous donations from community members through the Norton Children’s Hospital Foundation.