WHEELING, W.Va. (WTRF) – They’re there when you need them, even if you hope you never do. 

The WVU Medicine Children’s Transport team is always on call, ready to get to kids in need as soon as possible. 

To do that, they rely on community donations. So, when COVID canceled fundraisers, a group of local businesses made sure some of that money still made it to the team. 

Equipment and therapies for children are changing.

Cathy Richards, Nurse Manager, WVU Medicine Children’s Transport Team

That means the medical professionals who are part of the WVU Medicine Children’s Transport Team need constant training and their equipment requires upgrades. 

WVU Medicine Children’s needs your help to give critical care when children need it most

On any given trip in the ambulance or helicopter, the WVU Medicine Children’s Transport Team could include nurses, respiratory therapists, paramedics, pilots, nurse practitioners and more

The tiniest baby requires more staff to take care of them.

Cathy Richards, Nurse Manager, WVU Medicine Children’s Transport Team

With so many crew members and more than 520 transports so far this year, the team needed the money lost when the annual gala in the Ohio Valley was canceled. So, Panhandle Cleaning and Restoration stepped in. 

All of our cases that we support day to day is usually we look at the kids first. So, the hospital, Little League ball teams, schools, anything you can think of that are kid related we sponsor. So, when the hospital needed help that’s the first place we would go.

Bob Contraguerro Jr., Panhandle Cleaning and Restoration

The company called all the other sponsors of the annual event, hoping these local businesses would also continue to support this critical service. They did, doing their part to make sure in case you need them the transport team is there.

It helps the Ohio Valley, and so our money goes to transport women and kids that need to get to Ruby or somewhere else from our home area. This money stays where and helps people, helps your neighbors., helps people you work with.

Bob Contraguerro Jr., Panhandle Cleaning and Restoration

While these businesses were able to raise about half of what the annual WVU Medicine Children’s gala does, it’s still not enough to fund equipment that the transport team needs this year. 

If you’d like to help out the transport team, just click here.