Southwest Florida first responders have joined together with Golisano Children’s Hospital to bring the Special Needs Tracking and Awareness Response System (STARS)—a program that saves lives by accelerating emergency medical care for children with complex medical conditions—to Southwest Florida.
STARS was recently implemented at Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida. The program began in Lee County and quickly expanded into Charlotte and Collier counties, with an extension into Hendry County currently underway.
The benefit to pediatric patients is that everyone involved in their care from 911 dispatch to first responders to hospital staff is well prepared every step of the way and knows exactly what the patient needs and when they need it. This is particularly useful in helping emergency responders treat patients with rare and complex medical problems not often encountered.
When a child with complex medical needs is enrolled in STARS by a referral from their physician or via Golisano Children’s Hospital, they are assigned a number. When they need emergency medical care, the person who calls 911 will give dispatch the child’s STARS number. Dispatch then communicates the patient’s emergency care plan to the first responders running the call. Once the team arrives to care for the child, they will already know the child’s baseline condition and be ready to administer care right away. Golisano Children’s Hospital will also be alerted that the child is on the way and be ready to quickly provide treatment. The STARS program saves valuable time in these critical encounters when seconds often matter the most.
