TY - JOUR
T1 - Neonatal Stabilization Team
T2 - A Critical Team Providing Neonatal Care for Military Families in Guam
AU - Smith, Sarah
AU - Pierce, Desirae
AU - Savioli, Katrina
AU - Guindon, Michael
AU - James-Davis, La’Toya
AU - Shapiro, Jonathan
AU - Guggenbiller, Matthew
AU - Groberg, Andrew
AU - Smith, Kristen
AU - Litke Wager, Carrie Ann Renee
AU - Mosteller, Kaitlyn
AU - Anchan, Joshua
N1 - © The Association of Military Surgeons of the United States 2026. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact [email protected] for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact [email protected].
PY - 2026/1
Y1 - 2026/1
N2 - Introduction: Since 2021, Guam has lacked an accredited neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), which is a major public health concern for the approximately 150,000 residents and 20,000 military service members and their families on the island. In August 2021, the military established a Neonatal Stabilization Team (NeoStaT) to stabilize critically ill neonates born to U.S. military beneficiaries at U.S. Naval Hospital Guam (USNHG) until they could be transported to a NICU with appropriate resources. The NeoStaT consisted of 1 neonatologist, 2 NICU nurses, and 1 respiratory care practitioner (RCP) who were available at all times to stabilize neonates requiring care exceeding newborn nursery capabilities. This report summarizes the results of the NeoStaT mission although describing the personnel involved, patients cared for, and infants requiring transport from Guam. Materials and Methods: Records were reviewed to characterize the personnel staffing the NeoStaT mission from August 15, 2021 to September 30, 2024. Temporary duty costs were estimated based on the duration of assignments for NeoStaT personnel. Existing patient records were reviewed and data on patient care and air transports were extracted. Finally, transport costs were calculated based on estimates provided by the Theater Patient Movement Requirements Center (TPMRC). The report received a non-research determination by the Brooke Army Medical Center institutional review board. Results: A total of 54 personnel participated in the NeoStaT mission (21 neonatologists, 19 NICU nurses, and 14 RCPs) with an estimated total temporary duty (TDY/TAD) cost of $1.7M. Neonatal Stabilization Team admitted 80 patients with an average length of stay of 3 days. The most common admission diagnoses were respiratory distress/failure (80%) and prematurity (36% were born at 24 hours of care in the NeoStaT unit and did not require transport, potentially saving $12.7M in transport costs. Conclusions: This report highlights the scope of personnel, patients, and transports associated with the NeoStaT in Guam. The authors believe this experience may be useful in future considerations of how to most effectively meet the dependent care needs of military-affiliated families stationed in present and future remote locations around the world.
AB - Introduction: Since 2021, Guam has lacked an accredited neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), which is a major public health concern for the approximately 150,000 residents and 20,000 military service members and their families on the island. In August 2021, the military established a Neonatal Stabilization Team (NeoStaT) to stabilize critically ill neonates born to U.S. military beneficiaries at U.S. Naval Hospital Guam (USNHG) until they could be transported to a NICU with appropriate resources. The NeoStaT consisted of 1 neonatologist, 2 NICU nurses, and 1 respiratory care practitioner (RCP) who were available at all times to stabilize neonates requiring care exceeding newborn nursery capabilities. This report summarizes the results of the NeoStaT mission although describing the personnel involved, patients cared for, and infants requiring transport from Guam. Materials and Methods: Records were reviewed to characterize the personnel staffing the NeoStaT mission from August 15, 2021 to September 30, 2024. Temporary duty costs were estimated based on the duration of assignments for NeoStaT personnel. Existing patient records were reviewed and data on patient care and air transports were extracted. Finally, transport costs were calculated based on estimates provided by the Theater Patient Movement Requirements Center (TPMRC). The report received a non-research determination by the Brooke Army Medical Center institutional review board. Results: A total of 54 personnel participated in the NeoStaT mission (21 neonatologists, 19 NICU nurses, and 14 RCPs) with an estimated total temporary duty (TDY/TAD) cost of $1.7M. Neonatal Stabilization Team admitted 80 patients with an average length of stay of 3 days. The most common admission diagnoses were respiratory distress/failure (80%) and prematurity (36% were born at 24 hours of care in the NeoStaT unit and did not require transport, potentially saving $12.7M in transport costs. Conclusions: This report highlights the scope of personnel, patients, and transports associated with the NeoStaT in Guam. The authors believe this experience may be useful in future considerations of how to most effectively meet the dependent care needs of military-affiliated families stationed in present and future remote locations around the world.
KW - Guam
KW - Humans
KW - Infant, Newborn
KW - Intensive Care Units, Neonatal/organization & administration
KW - Military Personnel/statistics & numerical data
KW - Patient Care Team
KW - Transportation of Patients
UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/2e5b13ef-3ad0-3554-80c3-488f73646605/
U2 - 10.1093/milmed/usaf494
DO - 10.1093/milmed/usaf494
M3 - Article
C2 - 42030472
AN - SCOPUS:105049016273
SN - 0026-4075
VL - 191
SP - 1776
EP - 1782
JO - Military Medicine
JF - Military Medicine
IS - 9-10
ER -