CCH Launches Neonatal Transport Service to Keep Families Closer to Home

Campbell County Health (CCH) is proud to announce the launch of its Neonatal Transport Service. This new initiative, the first of its kind in Wyoming, offers specialized care for premature newborns and mothers in pre-term labor during transport to Campbell County Health or another suitable facility.

"We are the only facility in Wyoming that provides neonatal transports with a dedicated neonatal care team, alongside EMS," said Cass Hurley, Manager of Maternal Child at CCH. "While other facilities transfer pre-term newborns out-of-state using flight transport services, we bring trained neonatal professionals to ensure the baby receives the specialized care they need, all the way back to the nursery."

Established in 1981, CCH’s Level II Special Nursery is equipped to deliver and care for pre-term babies born at 32 weeks of gestation or later. Premature babies require a different level of care than full-term babies including specialized respiratory support, IV care and careful monitoring to support healthy development. “These babies have a great deal of brain growth that needs to happen to ensure proper development. We ensure their nutritional needs are met to enable complete brain development as they would have in utero,” Hurley explained.

The neonatal transport service is particularly beneficial for families of pre-term babies. There are many healthcare facilities in the surrounding area that are not able to deliver and care for pre-term babies. In the past, those babies would be flown out-of-state to a regional facility. Now, the neonatal transport offers a percentage of those cases the option to stay closer to their community for the duration of the baby’s stay. Hurley stated, “Families always ask how long their baby will need to stay in neonatal care. I always tell them to expect to stay until your due date. So, if that was a 32-week baby, they are looking at approximately 8 weeks in the neonatal nursery. That is a big burden for families with a baby that is transported out-of-state and so far away from home and their family support network. If they have other children, it becomes an even bigger burden. We are keeping our Wyoming babies in Wyoming whenever appropriate.”

In January 2025, CCH completed its first neonatal transport for a pre-term baby at Memorial Hospital in Douglas. EMS staff along with a neonatal nurse and Neonatal Nurse Practitioner, Tracy Wasserburger, arrived and took over care while getting the baby safely back to the CCH Level II Nursery.

EMS staff play a vital role in the transport process by ensuring a safe, comfortable ride for both the baby and medical staff. While neonatal nurses manage most of the patient care, EMS professionals focus on securing the safety of the transport and assisting with any logistical needs along the way.

"We assess each transport carefully to ensure it's appropriate for our capabilities," Shane Kirsch, Manager of CCH Ambulance Services added. "While there are some physical barriers such as oxygen requirements, we always err on the side of caution. If we are not certain it is appropriate for us to provide the neonatal transport, we suggest transferring the patient via flight to a larger, more suitable facility.”

CCH's Neonatal Transport Service provides a critical solution for families with high-risk pregnancies and pre-term babies. This service is available to facilities across the region, ensuring that newborns receive the best care possible in the closest facility capable of supporting their needs.

For more information about the neonatal transport service healthcare facilities can contact Cass Hurley directly at 307-688-2250.