Bringing critical care closer to home

Serving one of the largest geographical areas in the world — spanning over 500,000 km² across Northern and Central Alberta, the Northwest Territories and neighbouring provinces, the Stollery’s transport teams bring specialized intensive care directly to kids who need it the most, when they need it the most. 

With more than 80 specially trained pediatric and neonatal intensive care nurses and respiratory therapists, the Stollery’s Neonatal and Pediatric Transport Teams respond to as many as five calls every 24 hours, transporting more than 1,000 critically ill neonates and children each year, with 85 per cent of these young patients being under the age of five. 

From incubators that cradle premature infants as young as 23 weeks gestational age, to ventilators and IV pumps designed for precise care, the equipment they carry is just as specialized as the teams themselves. The Stollery’s transport team is the only pediatric team in Western Canada equipped to initiate and transport patients on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or ECMO, offering a critical lifeline for kids with the most fragile hearts and lungs. 

Whether by ground ambulance, airplane or helicopter, they use the fastest route possible to reach hospitals across Canada, bringing kids safely to the Stollery. 

Thanks to our generous donors, the Stollery can not only provide cutting-edge equipment, but also support programs like the Critical Care Outreach Program ensuring health care providers, no matter their location, have the knowledge and confidence to care for critically ill babies and young patients in any emergency situation through:  

• Education and training   
• Telemedicine and virtual health   
• Collaboration and engagement   
• Outreach co-ordination  
• Program development and evaluation 

Together, we’re not just funding equipment — we’re funding the ability to deliver world-class care wherever a child needs it, whenever they need it.