UPMC Children’s Expands Emergency Transport Services with First-of-Its-Kind ICU on Wheels 

HARRISBURG, Pa., May 22, 2025 – UPMC Children’s in Harrisburg has expanded its critical care transport services to include pediatric ground and air capabilities, building on decades of neonatal transport that began in 1979. The hospital now offers full-service transport for both ground and air, focusing solely on neonatal and pediatric patients. 

This latest expansion of the UPMC NICU transport team to include pediatric ICU patients has led to the region's first dedicated NICU/PICU transport, focused exclusively on transporting critically ill pediatric and neonatal patients. The team has transported over 130 children this year alone and unlike other services in the region, this team does not transport adults, highlighting its sole commitment to children's care.    

“Pediatric and neonatal patients have different care needs compared to adult patients,” said Rebecca Smith, M.D., pediatric intensivist at UPMC Children’s in Harrisburg. “The transport ambulance is specifically designed and dedicated to our youngest patients and is equipped with all the necessary medical resources to begin treatment at the bedside and during the transfer. As a result of the care they receive from this team, patients often arrive at the hospital in better condition than they were in before transfer. Skilled pediatric and neonatal experts on the transport team take over the care of these patients guided by our Harrisburg NICU and PICU physicians before they are transferred to the pediatric and neonatal units, creating a higher level of care outside of the Harrisburg campus.”   

Co-managed by Dr. Smith (PICU) and Carey Welsh, M.D., neonatologist at UPMC Harrisburg (NICU), the UPMC Harrisburg PICU/NICU transport team consists of six registered nurses and one clinician who work in a 24-hour rotation. All team members have backgrounds in either NICU or PICU and have received extensive training in respiratory modalities at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.  

“Quick access to a critically ill child is the top priority for the transport team,” said Dr. Welsh. “Rapid access to specialized care can significantly improve a child's chances of survival and recovery. Unlike regular ambulances, our service delivers the entire NICU and PICU directly to the patient, ensuring that critical care is available immediately upon arrival and during the transfer. In short, we are a pediatric/neonatal ICU on wheels.”  

The ambulance is equipped with a transport isolette for infants and ventilators, infusion pumps and other specialized equipment for children. When air transport is necessary, the team coordinates with the STAT MedEvac team to ensure safe and efficient transport.  

The UPMC Pinnacle Foundation donated the ambulance to the team and assisted in outfitting the isolette, which is a clear plastic enclosed crib designed to create a controlled and stable environment for newborns, particularly for premature or critically ill infants.  

“We are incredibly thankful to the UPMC Pinnacle Foundation for their dedication to the health and well-being of our community,” said Dr. Welsh. “Their generous donation of an ambulance and their invaluable support in securing the outfitting of the isolette allow us to provide the highest level of care for infants and their families. This incubator is a vital addition, creating a controlled and stable environment for our most vulnerable newborns, particularly those who are premature or ill.”  

UPMC Children’s in Harrisburg offers 72 beds dedicated to infants, children, adolescents and teens, providing acute and critical inpatient pediatric care. UPMC brings nationally ranked care from UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh to families in central Pennsylvania, with direct access to its specialists when needed. To learn more about UPMC Children’s in Harrisburg, visit UPMC.com/CentralPaPediatrics