WICHITA, Kansas, June 26, 2008 – They look like your typical ambulance, but inside is precious cargo.

Wesley’s new fleet of emergency vehicles was made with the tiniest patients in mind.

“We can basically do any kind of critical care that can be done here at Wesley, inside this ambulance,” said Dave Hampton, Perinatal Outreach Coordinator.

Inside you’ll find everything you would in a neonatal intensive care unit; an isolette to keep the baby warm, equipment to monitor heart rate and blood pressure. You’ll also find a neonatal transport team made up of a respiratory therapist and nurse practitioner providing acute care to babies anywhere from 24 weeks to full-term.

“It can be anything from a heart baby that needs to go to Kansas City or wherever that we pick up, and stabilize here to seizures, metobolic problems anything like that congenital anomalies,” said NICU Nurse Practitioner Debbie Taylor.

Wesley has three emergency vehicles. The newest one is dedicated to babies and costs a hefty $150 thousand.

Up to 250 infants are transported to Wesley every year; some by air and others by ground. And the new ambulance is a far cry from the first ground transports.

“The original ambulances we went in were Winnebago vans that had been converted to ambulances from the inside, in fact, one of our older ambulances back in the 70's was a converted bread truck,” said Taylor.

It’s a major upgrade not only saving lives, but providing a promising start to a new one.

“If I didn't have this, I wouldn't be able to bring a baby back home,” Taylor said. ”There would be no way.”

Via-Christi hospitals also have specialized neonatal transport teams