The Pediatric and Neonatal Transport Service at UCSF Children's Hospital quickly transports seriously ill infants, children and high-risk pregnant women to our hospital, while providing high-level care along the way. Transport is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

If you or your child are being admitted to UCSF Children's Hospital or UCSF Medical Center, your doctor will determine the best method of transport. If you have any questions regarding transport, please ask your doctor.

Parents' Guide to the Pediatric Transport

Parents are crucial members of our team. Here are a few things you can do to help ensure that the transport goes smoothly:

• Please remain at your home hospital until the transport team arrives, so you can fill out the necessary consent forms.
• Being separated from your child when he or she is ill can be very stressful. However, due to space limitations in transport vehicles — whether a regular ambulance or an aircraft — you may not be able to accompany the team during transport.
• You may follow in your personal vehicle, but please don't follow the ambulance closely. Traveling within 300 feet of the ambulance creates a hazardous situation both for you and your child.
• Ask the social workers or discharge planners at your home hospital for assistance if you would like to arrange your transportation to UCSF Children's Hospital. See our directions to the hospital.
• Pediatric social workers are available daily to provide counseling during this difficult time and assistance with lodging, insurance coverage and other issues. You may ask to speak with a social worker after arriving at UCSF Children's Hospital.

When your child arrives, he or she will be admitted to one of our three intensive care units, Bone Marrow Transplant Unit or one of our two pediatric floors. Here are hospital phone numbers for these units:

The hospital main number is (415) 476-1000.

What We Offer

There are several ways your child may be transported to UCSF Children's Hospital. They include:

• Local ambulance service that will be arranged by the doctor caring for your child.
• UCSF Children's Hospital has two dedicated ambulances. The transport team includes a pediatrician or neonatal nurse practitioner, a transport nurse and two emergency medical technicians (EMTs). Our ambulances have been specially designed to minimize your child's stress during transport.
• Airplane service using the UCSF Pediatric Transport Team or an air medical transport team.
• Helicopter transport for patients older than 3 months of age at hospitals located more than one hour from UCSF Children's Hospital using the UCSF transport team or an air medical transport team.