Miracles in the Air and on the Road NICU Transport Team Delivers Saskatchewan's Most Precious Cargo
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ravelling with a baby involves so much more than a packed suitcase for Saskatchewan’s Neonatal Transport Team. To ensure our province’s tiniest and most vulnerable babies arrive safely to hospital, this remarkable team has one of the most critical tasks in the business of saving lives. “The responsibility of this team is to assess, plan, implement, and evaluate the stability of a newborn baby throughout an emergency transport,” said Adele Riehl, Manager of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and NICU Transport. “They perform total patient care that allows newborn babies to be safely transported while receiving the essential care they need.” Small in size but stellar in performance, the team consists of two Registered Nurses, including the Transport Nurse who offers advanced skills. Travelling from
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communities as far as Stony Rapids and Swift Current, the team transported nearly 180 babies last year, some weighing as little as one pound. From respiratory distress and prematurity to congenital defects, the team transports babies province-wide and also to Edmonton for those who need immediate open-heart surgery. The team was first out of the gate when baby Harper needed to be transported from Prince Albert to Saskatoon’s NICU. Harper and her twin brother, Knox, were born to first-time parents Lauren and James, but their arrival was more alarming than celebratory. Harper needed immediate CPR after delivery because she was not breathing and her tiny body was placed on a cooling mat to help reduce the risk of brain damage. “We were in complete shock,” said James.
