Transport Program

Program Statistics

• Our program was founded in 1987.
• Our team mobilizes within 30 minutes.
• We use a specially designed ambulance, Sikorsky S-76 helicopters and a Lear jet to transport infants, children and adolescents.

Patient Need

Many hospitals in outlying areas do not have the resources or the technology to provide care for seriously ill or injured infants, children, and young adults.  These children must be moved to a major medical center in order to receive the level of care needed.

When our transport team arrives at remote sites, they are bringing with them the cutting-edge intensive care capabilities provided at Children's Hospital.

Transport Program Video

About the Team

Transporting these fragile patients requires an experienced team and access to specialized vehicles and equipment.  Unlike most hospitals, we have a dedicated transport team, consisting of:

• 11 physicians
• 12 nurses
• 9 respiratory therapists

Team Certification Requirements

All of our transport personnel are board certified in:

• General Pediatrics
• Pediatric Advanced Life Support
• Neonatal resuscitation 

Many are also certified in pediatric emergency medicine or pediatric intensive care.

Rapid Response

The team can mobilize within thirty minutes of receiving a call, and can successfully conduct multiple transports simultaneously. This significantly minimizes our response time in situations where every minute is crucial.  We employ state-of-the-art technology to stabilize and treat young patients until they can reach the destination hospital. 

Special Transports

The majority of the transport patients are from the immediate community, however, many also come from all across the U.S. as well as from Hawaii, Canada, Mexico, Europe, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and the South Pacific.

Transport for Regional Hospitals

Most hospitals do not possess the expertise in emergency neonatal/pediatric care or have the resources necessary to perform these transports themselves. As a result, they rely upon our medical team to ensure that their patients reach other hospitals safely. 

As a result, our Pediatric Emergency Transport Program is the provider of more transports of children and adolescents between hospital facilities than any other transport program in southern California, transporting over 300 children per year by helicopter alone.

In addition to bringing patients to Children's Hospital Los Angeles, we perform emergency transports for approximately 65 other contracted hospitals, including:

• Kaiser Permanente
• Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
• Huntington Memorial Hospital
• Anaheim Memorial Medical Center
• Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center