Susana Perez, R.N.
Perinatal Transport Coordinator
When a baby in Orange County or surrounding areas is critically ill or an expectant mother needs immediate medical attention, UC Irvine Medical Center often gets the call. A specially equipped ambulance and a team of highly trained medical professionals are immediately dispatched to transfer moms and babies to the medical center. This is maternal-fetal transport—and Susana Perez, R.N., is often the nurse in charge.
In the ambulance, Susana and her team use life-saving equipment such as ventilators and heart monitors to ensure that patients are transferred swiftly and safely. They check breathing, blood pressure and heart rate to keep the patient stable during the ride to UC Irvine Medical Center. In some instances, the team may oversee patient transfers by helicopter. When they arrive at the medical center, patients are immediately transferred to the units where neonatologists or perinatologists provide specialized care.
The Maternal-Fetal Transport Service attends to patients as far away as Barstow, California. Susana has been coordinating the program since 1979––and loves her work. “Give me a patient in need, and I am at my best,” she states. “There’s nothing like seeing a mother and baby who we have transferred to the medical center doing well years later.”
