Cook Children's annual report and community benefits

In October 2011, the Cook Children’s Teddy Bear Transport team was
acknowledged for being exactly that – a team. For the first time ever, the Children’s
Miracle Achievement Award for outstanding work and services provided to children in
the community went to a group. Previously, the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals’
national conference honored an individual for the reward.
In the summer of 2011, a new transport nurse educator role was created. This nurse
educator has experience in transport, nursing and education, and goes to referring
facilities to teach others the S.T.A.B.L.E. program (Sugar, Temperature, Airway, Blood
pressure, Lab work, Emotional support). “We want to give hospitals the tools to help
stabilize patients until our team arrives to help,” Boudreaux said.
The team played a key role in the design for Teddy Bear Transport’s new hangar located
at Meacham International Airport in Fort Worth. Included in this design was a classroom
area for continued education among staff, community groups, physicians and other
members of the medical community. “We wanted a place where our team could meet
regularly with physicians and learn new skills to stay current with the standard of care
given in the medical center,” said Debbie Boudreaux, BSN, RN, CCRN, C-NPT, nurse
manager for Teddy Bear Transport.
Prior to the new hangar, the nurses, respiratory therapists, paramedics, dispatch
and helicopter and fixed-wing pilots were all in separate locations, stealing valuable
minutes from the team’s departure.
“We always knew our team was excellent and now the entire
transport community knows it as well,” said Debbie Boudreaux, BSN,
RN, CCRN, LP, C-NPT, nurse manager for Teddy Bear Transport, after
the team won the Children’s Miracle Achievement Award.
“By building this new facility the team is always together, which improves overall
response times, so we can get to our patients quicker,” said Boudreaux.
The team is also committed to clinical exposure by spending time at the medical center
weekly. In addition, team members experience situations they encounter on the job
in the medical center’s simulation lab, where they are able to work with human-like
mannequins that react similarly to people. This time helps transport staff stay on top of
their skills, improve their knowledge and build stronger relationships with other staff.
Transport members are also involved outside of the medical center. Jack Sosebee,
director of Cook Children’s Teddy Bear Transport, serves as chair of the standards
committee for the Association of Air Medical Services and as president of the Texas
Association of Air Medical Services, which shows how Cook Children’s is helping set
standards for the medical community. “We are committed to being the best we can
be for our patients and we intend to keep soaring to new heights,” Boudreaux said.
05 | Cook Children’s 2011 Annual Report