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The Pediatric Transport Program at The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital (BMSCH) at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, run by Robert Wood Johnson Medical School’s  Department of Pediatrics , is helping children suspected of having COVID-19 receive the best care from experts.

Community hospitals throughout Central Jersey are using the transport service to move children brought to their emergency departments to BMSCH, ensuring these patients will be seen by Rutgers Health specialists who are the most knowledgeable about how this disease affects children, and who have the resources to treat them.

Averaging 1,500 transfers a year, the program facilitates the transfer of children from hospitals that do not have pediatric specialists or care units, providing access to one of the largest children’s units in the state. Sally Radovick, MD , chair of the Department of Pediatrics , shares the importance of the transport program, “ Our transport service includes highly-specialized team members trained in protocols specific to children and 24/7 in-house board certified Pediatric ICU doctors acting as medical control. Research shows that pediatric specialty teams have the highest success rate in transporting pediatric patients. We are all committed to delivering the highest quality care that is compassionate, professional and family-centered.” 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, this transport program is especially integral.  Steve Horwitz, MD , medical director of Pediatric Transport and assistant professor of pediatrics, shares, “The influx of patients with the coronavirus has created a strain for many hospitals, who have decided to close or limit their pediatric units and transform them to adult areas. This means that pediatric resources are temporarily unavailable.”

Many pediatric patients are being transferred because of a suspicion or diagnosis of COVID-19. “While this is a primarily an adult disease with children experiencing mild symptoms, children are still affected. Because the disease presentation is so varied, it’s important to have patients treated at a facility with expertise and infectious disease specialists, as well as one that has seen more patients with coronavirus and has experience treating it,” says Dr. Horwitz.

Read more about how the Pediatric Transport Program is serving the community's pediatric population here .

Suhayl Dhib-Jalbut, MD , professor and chair of neurology and Ruth Dunietz Kushner and Michael Jay Serwitz Chair in Multiple Sclerosis, discussed with Neurology Today the ways that the department is being transformed to treat patients with COVID-19.

"The plan is to consolidate floors and units [in the neurocritical care unit] for COVID patients," Dr. Dhib-Jalbut explained.   "As the surge hits, our four neurocritical care faculty will be assuming almost full care for COVID patients. Their training and expertise allow them to take care of respiratory problems including the acute respiratory distress syndrome and other complications associated with COVID."

Neurology residents under faculty supervision are already providing consultations on COVID patients for a variety of neurological manifestations. To minimize exposure of our residents to COVID and to save on PPE, after the residents collect the medical information and diagnostic tests results, only the attending neurologist interacts with the patient, he said.

"It is becoming evident that this is not just a respiratory disease and affects other systems in the body," he said. "Patients are presenting with additional symptoms such as confusion, encephalopathy, seizures and headaches. We need to be aware that these are possible neurologic complications of COVID and that these could be among patients' early presenting symptoms. We'll be learning more about the acute and late nervous system complications of COVID-19 through imaging and other studies later on, but now there is no time for that."

Third-year student Aria Fariborzi has been working hard to secure Patient Pod donations for patients at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. Patient Pods are individual devices (wrapped in protective plastic) that clip on the bed rail to keep the patients' cell phone, eyeglasses and o ther personal items within reach, also limiting the number of people who touch their items. Benefits of the Patient Pod include decreased risk of hospital-acquired infection, p atient falls, call button hits, lost patient items and readmission rate. The devices can also be customized with a patient’s personal photo and preferred name. These are especially helpful during today’s pandemic when patients are no longer able to see their loved ones in person and the risk of infection is heightened. Read a trial summary about how Patient Pods have improved the patient experience here .

Aria worked with Alfred F. Tallia, MD, MPH , professor and chair of family medicine and community health, to coordinate a donation of 96 Patient Pods from Pat Mastors, who serves with Dr. Tallia on the Executive Board of the National Board of Medical Examiners. Pat runs Patients’ View Partners , a nonprofit organization that provides advocacy and the patient’s voice in health care.

Thank you, Pat, for the donation, and to our students and Dr. Tallia for their coordination and outreach.

Congratulations to the 2020 inductees of the Gold Humanism Honor Society! The Gold Humanism Honor Society recognizes senior medical students, residents, role model physicians and teachers and others who have demonstrated excellence in clinical care, leadership, compassion and dedication to service.

Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award : Karen Lin, MD, and Paul Lavadera, M4

Humanism and Excellence in Teaching Award : Nadia Aurora, MD; John Dutton, MD; Adrian Kohut, MD; and Eric Pagan, MD

Bruce Fisher Award : Nicole Borglum, M4

 2020 Student Inductees :

The Clinical Research Center (CRC) is working on a series of clinical trials to address COVID-19, including studies with the Remdisiver drug, an antiviral medication that is a possible post-infection treatment for the illness. Ronald Nahass, MD , clinical professor of medicine, is the principle investigator for the Remdisiver trials. Read more about all the ongoing trials related to COVID-19 at the CRC here .

Patients newly diagnosed COVID-19 who have not yet received treatment may be eligible to participate in a randomized clinical research study at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick and University Hospital in Newark. The study is examining the drugs hydroxychloroquine (FDA approved for the treatment of malaria and autoimmune diseases) and the antibiotic azithromycin. The purpose of the research is to determine if the combined drugs work better than hydroxychloroquine alone when treating COVID-19 positive patients.

To see if you are eligible to participate in the hydroxychloroquin study, contact Rutgers Cancer Institute’s Office of Human Research Services at 732-235-7356 or email [email protected]. Read more about eligibility requirements here.

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