The expansion will bring a third vehicle to Arnold Palmer Hospital’s fleet of acute care transports along with an additional pediatric-specialized acute care team, including a registered nurse, paramedic, and emergency medical technician. Until now, local emergency medical services (EMS) agencies provide interfacility transport of all pediatric non-critical care patients. The expansion of the acute care transport team will allow referring hospitals throughout Central Florida to expedite the transport of children with non-critical illnesses or injuries to Arnold Palmer Hospital.
The additional team will be fully trained to care for pediatric patients and certified in pediatric advanced life support, reducing delays in the delivery of adequate care and greatly improving clinical outcomes.
“Caring for kids who are very sick is not as simple as treating a small adult. Children who are seriously ill or injured require very specific therapies and treatment delivered in a timely fashion,” says Mary Farrell, M.D., medical director for pediatric acute care transport services at Arnold Palmer Hospital. “The additional specialized team we put in place will allow us to bring cutting-edge care to the bedside at all referring hospitals, and ensures patients continue to receive that care during transport to Arnold Palmer Hospital.”
The expansion of Arnold Palmer Hospital’s acute care transport team will bring these highly-specialized services to referring hospitals in 18 counties in and around Central Florida. It is estimated the expansion will allow Arnold Palmer Hospital to transport 100 children with serious illnesses or injuries per month. The team will be in operation 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“We’re looking forward to extending the very capable hands of our acute care team here at Arnold Palmer Hospital to the furthest reaches of Central Florida,” says Dr. Farrell. “Providing our kids the right treatment at the right time is absolutely the right thing to do and this will help us do that.”
ARNOLD PALMER HOSPITAL for CHILDREN Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, supported by the Arnold Palmer Medical Center Foundation, is a 158-bed facility dedicated exclusively to the needs of children. Located in Orlando, Arnold Palmer Hospital provides expertise in pediatric specialties such as cardiac care, craniomaxillofacial surgery, critical care, emergency and trauma care, gastroenterology, nephrology, neurology, hematology/oncology, hospitalist services, orthopedics, pulmonology and sports medicine. In 2013, the hospital achieved Magnet® designation, the “gold standard” for nursing’s contribution to quality patient care, safety, research, and service excellence. Visit www.arnoldpalmerhospital.com to learn more about all of our specialties.
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