San Francisco-based UCSF Health will launch a second neonatal transport team and fleet in January to expand access to critical care for infants across Northern California.
UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals in San Francisco and Oakland transported more than 400 critically ill newborns in 2025, according to a Dec. 10 health system news release. The new Oakland-based team will operate alongside the existing San Francisco team, with coverage extending to the East Bay, Central Valley and surrounding regions.
Each transport team includes neonatal nurses, respiratory therapists and advanced practice providers. They operate 24/7 via ambulance, helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft. Patients are transferred to UCSF neonatal intensive care units for conditions such as respiratory failure, heart defects or hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.
The expansion follows increased demand for time-sensitive newborn care in rural and suburban areas. UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland is Northern California’s busiest freestanding pediatric trauma center and a designated Level 1 pediatric trauma facility. Its neonatology program ranked sixth nationally in U.S. News & World Report’s children’s hospital rankings.
