BOISE, Idaho — St. Luke's unveils a new Maternal-Child Transport vehicle currently serving throughout the community. The new state-of-the-art Maternal Child Transport ambulance is used to transport and care for high-risk pregnant moms, premature babies, and pediatric patients.
“Just having this new, nicer vehicle will make a huge difference for us as well as our patients,” said Julie Cralovec, St. Luke's Maternal Child Team nurse.
The mobile intensive care ambulance is particularly used for transport and care in rural areas. It has replaced the previous Maternal Child Team's ambulance. While many things are similar between the two, the new one has updated functions, one of them being a 4-point liquid suspension system.
“That's very important for the premature babies we transport. It will be a smoother ride for them,” said Cralovec.
It also has a new lift system for the Isolette. The enclosed 200-pound crib is used to transport and care for new babies while maintaining a warm environment and isolating them from any germs. The automated lift system makes it easier for the team to load the crib into the ambulance, as they previously had to physically lift it to get on board.
“It actually bares the entire load of the Isolette, there is no more lifting. That's just a safety matter for people,” said Cralovec.
Funds for the new Maternal-Child Transport vehicle were contributed over 2 years raising a total of $870,000. $65,000 of those donations were made by St. Luke's own employees.
