(WDNews) — Children in southeast Alabama’s Wiregrass area now have quicker access to lifesaving neonatal and pediatric care, thanks to the expansion of USA Health Children’s & Women’s Hospital’s critical care transport program.
In a ceremony held August 1 at Children’s & Women’s Hospital in Mobile, USA Health launched an expanded “Cub Crew”—a team of nurses, respiratory therapists, and paramedics dedicated 24/7 to inter‑facility transport by air or ground for critically ill newborns and children.
During the past 12 months alone, Cub Crew safely transferred 761 neonatal and pediatric patients from surrounding hospitals across the Gulf Coast by ground transport—several of which cover the Wiregrass region.
With the addition of rotor-wing (helicopter) transport, the team can now reach more remote areas—Wiregrass medical centers included—reducing travel time by two to three times compared to ground transport.
“Every child, no matter where they live, deserves the best access to specialized care,” said Cub Crew nurse manager Brooke Olson. She emphasized that while the team previously depended on lengthy ground trips—up to 90 or 120 minutes—it sometimes arrived too late. The new air capability significantly reduces response times, she said.
CEO Deborah Browning added, “Time is critical. The faster we can deliver our intensive care teams to those hospitals and start treatment, the better outcomes we achieve.” The air service is expected to begin flights this month, with neonatal flights starting in the fall as specialized isolette-equipped transports become available.
Hospitals across the Wiregrass area—such as those in Houston, Dale, Coffee, and Geneva counties—can coordinate patient transfers through USA Health’s 24/7 Transfer Center at 1‑833‑USA‑STAT.
USA Health’s Children’s & Women’s Hospital is the only academic, freestanding hospital devoted solely to women and children on the upper Gulf Coast and operates the region’s only Level III neonatal intensive care unit.
