DAVIESS COMMUNITY HOSPITAL RECEIVES VALUABLE TRANSPORT DEVICE

(Washington, IN) – Daviess Community Hospital recently received a valuable piece of equipment through a request for funding under the OB Navigation Infrastructure Grant which was awarded to the Indiana Rural Health Association (IRHA) and is funded by the Indiana Department of Health under the Division of Maternal and Child Health. Under the Indiana Department of Health application, the focus of this specific grant was to continue to focus efforts to reduce infant mortality in Indiana through supporting infrastructure costs incurred in the delivery of a robust home-visiting model to families.

A partnership between Daviess Community Hospital and the IRHA Healthy Start Communities that C.A.R.E. (HSCC) program has placed trained Perinatal Navigators to work one-on-one with residents in Daviess, Dubois, Green and Martin counties with a focus on reducing infant mortality. The new funding allowed for the purchase of a Pedi-Mate pediatric restraint device thus supporting this effort even further.

No one expects a medical emergency, especially when it involves otherwise healthy small children or infants. The DCH EMS crews’ responsibility for a child’s safety during transport is just as important as providing medical care. In many cases, the child’s car seat may not always be available to use on scene.

For example, the patient may be in a store, at home with a babysitter, or the car seat may be too damaged to use from a wreck. Assuring an infant or child’s safety during EMS transport is not an option. The Pedi-Mate pediatric restraint device was selected based on interviews with several EMS services throughout the country, with an overwhelming consensus given towards this style of pediatric restraint. The Pedi-Mate restraint system will not restrict access to the patient for assessment and treatment, and it allows you to provide care while safely securing the child on the EMS stretcher. It is easy to clean, durable, and takes up very little storage space in the ambulance.

As the Perinatal Navigation teams (consisting of a Nurse Practitioner, Registered Nurse, and Community Health Worker) are in the homes completing home visits and providing services to the infants and families, an infant could be identified as needing immediate care. When this pediatric emergency need is identified and 911 is called, the Pedi-mate equipment is loaded into the ambulance. This Pedi-mate equipment would allow the infant to be safely transported to the nearest facility for further care.

The Pedi Mate + Pediatric Restraint System, designed for pediatric patients ranging in size from 10-100 lb (4.5-45.4kg), provides a quick and efficient way to safely secure young patients to almost any cot without having to purchase additional equipment or specialized seats. The Pedi Mate + is fully adjustable with a five-point harness system that securely holds patients, providing comfortable restraint for transport. Three straps easily attach the Pedi-Mate + to any cot.

For more information about Daviess Community Hospital services, please visit www.dchosp.org or call 812-254-2760.

Pictured (left to right): Ashley Burch (DCH EMS), Shawna O’Kelley Brinson (RN, Director of OB Services), Keith Miller (DCH COO), Joanah R. Wischmeier, (RN, IRHA Program Director-Healthy Start Communities that C.A.R.E.), Desiree Lewis, (RN, DCH Perinatal Navigator), JoAn Cox (Certified Community Health Worker).

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