St Mary’s Hospital Maternity Care Transport

SSM Health, February 23, 2018 - The Maternity Care Transport program at SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital is celebrating 10 years of service to the community.

The specially trained team is the most experienced in the region, serving St. Louis, East St. Louis and surrounding communities since 2007.

The team has a combined experience of more than 35 years in maternal transport and more than 90 years in obstetrical nursing.

The Maternity Care Transport team has transported more than 2,000 women in the last 10 years. Approximately 75 percent of those transfers have been by ground and 25 percent by air. They have transported 154 mothers with multiples and can boast no births in the field.

St. Mary’s Hospital, in partnership with Saint Louis University, is the regional hub for maternal services and high-risk obstetrics and is fully equipped with a Level III Neonatal ICU and Perinatal Center. The experienced team is well-equipped to care for the most critical patients.

Some of the most common reasons pregnant women are transferred to St. Mary’s Hospital include premature labor, premature rupture of membranes, hypertension and respiratory concerns. Post-delivery, women may be transferred for blood pressure issues, hemorrhage and respiratory concerns.

According to Judy Wilson-Griffin, perinatal clinical nurse specialist, these days, St. Mary’s Hospital averages 25-30 trips per month. Patients have been transported from as far as Indiana to receive exceptional care at St. Mary’s Hospital.

Maternal transport nurses complete advanced training beyond obstetrical nursing care, including certification in Intermediate and Advanced Fetal Monitoring, Electrocardiogram (EKG), Neonatal Resuscitation Program and S.T.A.B.L.E. (Post-resuscitation and Pre-transport Stabilization of Sick Newborns).

In addition to managing common indications for maternal transport, the team is experience in transports involving acute medical complications, such as infection, diabetes and respiratory issues.

SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital also operates a Neonatal Transport Team that transports critically ill newborns from around the region to the Level IV Dana Brown Neonatal Intensive Care Unit 24 hours a day.