Referral and Scheduling Process

Physician referrals for neonatal and pediatric emergency transport should follow these steps:

1. To set up a transport, call (888) 729-9111.
2. Referring facilities should provide the following information when scheduling a transport:

• Name and location of the hospital requesting transport
• Provider’s name and callback number
• Name, age, weight and date of birth of the patient
• Chief complaint, diagnosis and present condition
• Medical history and allergies
• Vital signs and assessment of the child
• Treatments/medications that have been initiated
• Use of any medical devices, such as artificial airway or vascular access

3. Referring providers will be connected immediately to a Norton Children’s fellow or attending neonatologist, pediatric critical care specialist or pediatric emergency medicine physician who will provide real-time medical control for the transport team.

• Upon acceptance of the patient, a hospital bed is secured and the “Just for Kids” Transport Team is dispatched.
• Appropriate mode of transportation for the patient is determined: ground ambulance or helicopter.
• The requesting facility is notified of the mode of transportation and given an estimated time of arrival once the team is en route.

Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) Transports

ECMO heart and lung support therapy and other mechanical circulatory support devices are used when conventional therapies aren’t enough to meet the body’s demands.

Follow the steps below to activate the pediatric ECMO transport team and refer a patient for this type of care:

• The referring provider should call Norton Children’s Direct Connect at (502) 559-7337 (PEDS), option 1, to request a pediatric ECMO consultation.
• The representative will connect the referring provider with the ECMO coordinator and the physician team.

If a decision is made for ECMO, Norton Children’s Direct Connect and the ECMO coordinator will facilitate Norton Children’s Hospital “Just for Kids” Transport Team transfer, bed request and personnel activation.

Pediatric Transport Education and Simulation

The “Just for Kids” Transport Team provides education and simulation experiences for medical facilities within the community. These sessions are available for hospital staff, first responders (i.e., paramedics, EMTs and firefighters) and health sciences students at local high schools.

If you would like to schedule an educational/simulation session with our team, choose from the list below and email [email protected] or [email protected].

Pediatric Simulations

• Anaphylaxis
• Asthma
• Burns
• Cardiac arrest/pulseless electrical activity
• Cardiac arrythmias
• Drowning
• Overdose/ingestion
• Respiratory distress
• Seizure activity
• Trauma injuries

Additional topics available upon request.

Neonatal Simulations

• Airway management
• Management of high-risk and high-acuity neonatal conditions
• Neuroprotection
• Premature delivery
• Vascular access
• Thermoregulation

Expanded educational topics available upon request.

Neonatal and pediatric lectures are available upon request.

Professional Committees and Affiliations

• Air Methods
• Kentucky Ambulance Providers Association
• Kentucky Board of Emergency Medical Services
• Kentucky Chapter of Association of Air Medical Services