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Eastern North Carolina gets new children’s transport vehicle

Posted at 12:47 PM, Sep 05, 2016
and last updated 2016-09-05 12:47:20-04

GREENVILLE, N.C. – A new children’s transport vehicle is now on the roads in eastern North Carolina thanks to funds from the Children’s Miracle Network.

The vehicle was added to Vidant EastCare’s fleet on August 31.

Vidant EastCare is an advanced critical transport service in eastern North Carolina. They needed a transport vehicle that was specifically outfitted and designed to care for infants and children during their journey to the hospital.

Vidant's new children's transport vehicle (Courtesy: Vidant Health)

Vidant’s new children’s transport vehicle (Courtesy: Vidant Health)

More than 1,500 patients are transported to the James and Connie Maynard Children’s Hospital in Greenville to receive treatment and specialty care.

“We are so fortunate here in eastern North Carolina to have access to higher levels of pediatric specialty care such as cardiology, hematology/oncology and neurology, just to mention a few,” said Brian Floyd, president, Vidant Medical Center. “And now we have a vehicle designed for our pediatric patients to get them to this specialty care.”

A dedicated children’s hospital transport team will provide transport services for sick infants and children throughout eastern North Carolina. The team is comprised of intensive-care trained nurses who are skilled at providing the specialty care many of these children need from the onset of transport to the arrival at the Maynard Children’s Hospital. With the addition of the new children’s transport vehicle, this team will be available 24/7 by helicopter or ambulance whenever a child in the region is in need.

“Specialized equipment such as an incubator for babies born prematurely allows the children’s hospital transport team members to provide high quality care throughout the entire transport process,” said Dr. Ryan Moore, co-medical director, Maynard Children’s Hospital. “Attending physicians in our specialty units in Maynard Children’s Hospital provide guidance to the team members via frequent updates regarding the patient’s clinical status.”

Children’s Miracle Network is the fundraising arm of the Vidant Health Foundation, meaning all of the money raised to pay for the vehicle came from eastern North Carolina.