The BSA Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Transport Team announced the expansion of its life-saving capabilities with the addition of a new Apollo MedFlight Bell 407 helicopter during a Tuesday afternoon ribbon cutting ceremony held at the BSA launchpad.
As stated in a news release, since 2018, Apollo MedFlight has partnered with BSA to provide fixed-wing air medical transport for babies born prematurely across the region who require specialized care. With the addition of the Bell 407 rotor-wing, BSA now has two aircrafts available for neonatal transport, each equipped like an ICU/CCU with advanced medical technology found in their hospital.
"Oftentimes we do see patients on their worst day, families in a crisis that they never imagined, especially with premature babies, and so to know that we are able to make a positive impact that maybe led to their survival and a better outcome, it means a lot," Apollo Chief Commercial Officer Brandon Leasure said.
As stated by BSA NICU Transport Medical Director Kelly Clements, MD., Amarillo is the only area in the northern Texas Panhandle that has an NICU and is oftentimes the closest location for many in the Panhandle to turn to for a higher level of infant care, including breathing needs, medications, infection concerns and more.
"Having this helicopter allows us easier access to get to the sort of middle region of the Panhandle. Certainly for places that are further away, we would still go by airplane, but for those places in between, we are able to get there faster. And we know that when babies are in trouble, the fastest response is going to provide the best care for our patients," Clements said.
As said during the presentation, studies have shown that babies that are resuscitated by a specialty care team or NICU team have better overall outcomes.
"With this, places can call us even before babies are delivered, and we will be there at the time of delivery to provide neonatal care for those infants even though they are not physically in our NICU yet," Clements added.
During transport on both the Bell 407 rotor-wing and the King Air 90 fixed-wing, a specially trained team that includes an NICU provider, an NICU nurse, an NICU respiratory therapist and an Apollo MedFlight crew member care for the baby. They have access to state-of-the-art equipment such as ventilators, monitors, IV pumps and isolettes. The team is available 24/7, 365 days a year to ensure the region’s newborns get the treatment they need.
According to Jamie Milton, NICU manager, BSA commonly transfers 20 to 30 NICU patients a year and expects to double those numbers by the end of this year. Milton said that they also expect to reach farther within the Texas Panhandle to provide the life-changing healthcare needed.
"From the moment the child is delivered, everything is by the minute, so this is a critical time for these sick babies. The sooner we get there, the better outcome the baby has," Milton said.
Apollo said that the average flight time utilizing the helicopters is commonly half the required time taken by ambulance. Apollo representatives estimated a flight to average around 30 minutes from BSA to Coon Memorial Hospital in Dalhart, and less than 20 minutes to the Moore County Hospital in Dumas.
The NICU transport team has been actively flying since October 2018 and has grown in personnel and in volume of transports annually.
"I want the community and the region to be confident in knowing how competent the clinical team is, how well trained they are and just how good they are in what they do. Oftentimes, we meet people in some of the worst situations of their life, but I want them to have piece of mind that we are doing and will continue to do all that we can to ensure they have the best care we can offer," Matt Parker, VP at BSA Hospital, said.
In addition to the new NICU team, Apollo and BSA are also in the process of developing a High Risk Obstetrician Team, allowing the partnership to fly moms that are still pregnant back to BSA to receive care. This team is estimated to be in effect May 1 of this year.
Read more at: https://www.amarillo.com/story/news/2024/02/16/bsa-unveils-apollo-medflight-helicopter-with-nicu-expansion/72607769007/
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