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Equipment Can Save Lives

Specialized medical equipment can save lives, but only if it is available. Not that long ago, the Crowsnest Pass Health Centre did not have a piece of equipment necessary to safely and quickly transport infants in distress to a facility where higher levels of medical attention can be provided.

A grant from Lethbridge Community Foundation, In combination with funds raised locally, helped purchase a neonatal transport unit, which provides a warm and oxygenated environment where the baby's temperature, heart rate and respiratory rate can all be monitored during transportation.

"We did not have a neo-natal transport unit before," explained Valerie Jasman, Acute Care Manager. Therefore, elements such as distance, weather, and STARS availability could negatively affect the speed with which the infant could be moved to a higher level of care. "Wait times could be six to eight hours for a team from Calgary or Lethbridge to bring their unit out to move the infant." In the interim, staff in the Health Centre had to deal the best they could with an unstable infant. The Crowsnest Pass Health Centre had the manpower - paramedics and neonatal nurses - but not the equipment they needed to safely transport their young and fragile patients.

Although the demand for a neo-natal transport unit is not huge, approximately two to three babies annually might need it. According to Jasman, "Having the neonatal transport unit means we are able to get patients in need of urgent treatment to their destination faster. This really increases the odds of success. If having this equipment helps us save one life, it is worth it."

From LCF Report to the Community 2006.