Pediatric Critical Care

Neonatal & Pediatric Transport Team

Find your care

At UCLA Health, our experienced pediatric critical care team is by your side every step of the way. Call 310-267-7540(Link opens phone app) to connect with us. For patient transfers, call 310-825-0909(Link opens phone app).

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Specialty care — by ground and air — for critically ill or injured children

Every second matters when a child is critically ill or injured. Whether you’re caring for a newborn with a congenital heart defect or an adolescent with a traumatic head injury, prompt transfer to a dedicated pediatric hospital can make all the difference.

To transfer a patient to UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital, please contact us:

Information/Patient Transfer
(310) 825-0909

Neonatal & pediatric transport

The Neonatal & Pediatric Transport Team at UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital(Link is external) (Link opens in new window) has worked closely with referring healthcare providers for more than 25 years. We safely transport more than 600 children each year to our nationally recognized pediatric centers: UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center(Link opens in new window) and Mattel Children’s Unit at UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center(Link opens in new window).

Specialized team

Specialized neonatal-pediatric critical care transport registered nurses, respiratory-care specialists and pediatric physicians staff our fleet of ground ambulances as well as our helicopter and plane provided by REACH Air Medical Services. We provide patients with comprehensive, family-centered care throughout transport.

  • Ann McNeil, RN, MSN, NE-BC - Director, Ambulance & Critical Care Transport

Seamless transfer

We make the transfer process as smooth as possible. When you call our 24/7 transfer center at (310) 825-0909, you are connected with a neonatal or pediatric ICU specialist. If transport is recommended, we activate one of our teams immediately.

Comprehensive transport fleet

We transport every patient — from California and beyond — quickly and safely to one of our pediatric specialty centers. Transport options include:

  • Ground Transport — Our proprietary ambulances are customized for neonatal-pediatric patients, allowing us to provide leading-edge patient care during transport. We can transport up to two patients, along with a family member and our medical team.
  • Air Transport — When time or distance is an issue, we activate our helicopter or fixed-wing aircraft provided by REACH. Both are fully equipped, featuring the latest medical and flight-safety technology, including satellite-phone communication systems.When time or distance is an issue, we activate our helicopter or fixed-wing aircraft provided by REACH. Both are fully equipped, featuring the latest medical and flight-safety technology, including satellite-phone communication systems.

By ground or air, your patients receive the emergency care they need, including:

  • Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)
  • Airway management
  • Inhaled nitric oxide
  • Conventional or high-frequency invasive ventilation modes
  • Multiple invasive line monitoring
  • High-flow nasal cannula oxygen
  • Intraosseous access

Dedicated transport team

Transport team members always include a critical care neonatal-pediatric registered nurse and respiratory therapist. Physicians may also join our team when the patient needs additional care. All UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital medical transport specialists:

  • Have at least five years of neonatal-pediatric critical care experience
  • Are part of a dedicated neonatal-pediatric critical care transport team
  • Have extensive NICU, PICU and/or emergency medicine experience
  • Complete extensive specialized ground- and air-transport training
  • Hold multiple certifications including NRP, PALS, ACLS, CCRN, CFRN and C-NPT
  • Rigorously maintain their specialty skills at our high-fidelity simulation center

Patient transfer

Our emergency hospital transfers are seamless. We offer:

  • Immediate ICU access — We can immediately connect you to a UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital NICU, PICU or subspecialist doctor. Our physicians will confer with you on your patient’s condition. If your patient needs to move to one of our pediatric specialty facilities, we initiate the process while you are on the line.
  • Ongoing communication — Our medical team becomes the professional connection between you and UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital. Our transport specialists will stay in touch to:
    • Give arrival-time updates
    • Clarify questions about care
    • Provide ongoing medical information
  • Family-centered care — We know you care about your young patients and their family. Our transport specialists do as well, providing comprehensive and comforting care throughout the process. When possible, we also allow one family member to travel with us.

Pediatric center

Our pediatric specialists in Westwood and Santa Monica offer compassionate, leading-edge patient care for up to 131 critically ill or injured children.

Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Westwood features:

  • 44 Pediatric Unit beds
  • 22 Neonatal ICU beds
  • 18 Pediatric ICU beds
  • 6 Pediatric Cardiac ICU beds
  • Special features:
    • Level III/IV NICU
    • Onsite congenital cardiac program
    • Whole-body hypothermia (cooling) program for newborns with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE)
    • Extracorporeal Life Support Organization Center of Excellence (ECMO)
    • Level 1 Trauma Center

Mattel Children’s Unit in Santa Monica features:

  • 25 Pediatric Unit beds (with 4 beds dedicated to acutely ill children)
  • 16 Neonatal ICU beds