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Neonatal Transport Service The Holden NICU at the University of Michigan Hospitals was one of the first in the state of Michigan to offer a neonatal transport service. We continue to provide Neonatology consultation, acceptance of referrals, and specialized transportation to our NICU for babies in need of intensive care. Medical personnel at other hospitals may request this service at any time simply by telephoning Holden NICU at (734) 763-4111. Our transport team will be activated when a request for transfer to the Holden NICU is accepted. Our goal is departure within 30 minutes of receiving the request. The University of Michigan Hospitals staff will make arrangements needed for transport. The transports are staffed according to the patient’s needs. The team usually consists of a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner or a Neonatal Fellow, one or two Registered Nurses, and a Respiratory Therapist. The nurses may be from the NICU or from Survival Flight, the University of Michigan Health Systems’ emergency transport service. The type of vehicle used depends on a combination of distance, weather, and patient need. We utilize an ambulance specifically designed for neonatal transport that is maintained by Huron Valley Ambulance. We also transport neonates by air in University of Michigan Health System’s Survival Flight helicopters or in specially fitted jets maintained by Marlin Air, Inc. All of these vehicles can accommodate the clinical equipment needed to provide neonatal intensive care while en route back to Holden NICU. The Holden NICU team transports approximately 250 babies per year. Most requests are from Michigan, though there are occasional babies from other states in need of Holden NICU’s specialty services. Other tertiary care centers referring critically ill babies to Holden NICU may elect to transport the patient with their own team or request Holden to send their transport team. |