Name
#37 NeoStaT: A Critical Team Providing Neonatal Care for Military Families in Guam
Content Presented On Behalf Of:
Air Force
Services/Agencies represented
US Air Force
Session Type
Poster
Date
Tuesday, March 3, 2026
Start Time
5:00 PM
End Time
7:00 PM
Location
Prince Georges Expo Hall E
Focus Areas/Topics
Clinical Care
Learning Outcomes
Following this session, the attendee will be able to:
1) Identify deficits in neonatal critical care for U.S. military dependents in Guam.
2) Describe how NeoStaT was established to fill gaps in neonatal critical care in Guam.
3) Summarize the resources and personnel/transport costs associated with NeoStaT for the duration of operations.
Session Currently Live
Description
Background: Since 2021, Guam has lacked an accredited neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) which is a major public health concern for the approximately 150,000 residents and 20,000 military service members and their families on the island. In August 2021, the military established a Neonatal Stabilization Team (NeoStaT) to stabilize critically ill neonates born to U.S. military beneficiaries at U.S. Naval Hospital Guam (USNHG) until they could be transported to a NICU with appropriate resources. The NeoStaT included one neonatologist, two NICU nurses, and one respiratory care practitioner (RCP) covering 4-24 week rotations at USNHG that were rapidly available 24/7 to care for neonates requiring care beyond a newborn nursery. This report documents the personnel involved with the NeoStaT, patients cared for, and neonates requiring transport from Guam. Methods: Existing records were reviewed to determine the number and type of personnel staffing the NeoStaT mission from August 15, 2021 until its expansion to include two neonatologists, four NICU nurses, and two RCPs on October 1, 2024. Temporary duty costs were estimated based on the duration of assignments for NeoStaT personnel. Furthermore, existing de-identified patient records were reviewed and data on patient care and air transports were extracted. Finally, transport costs were estimated based on estimates provided by the Theater Patient Movement Requirements Center-West. The study received a non-research determination by the Brooke Army Medical Center institutional review board. Results: A total of 54 personnel participated in the NeoStaT mission (21 neonatologists, 19 nurses, and 14 RCPs) with an estimated total TDY cost of $1.8M. NeoStaT admitted 80 patients who had an average length of stay of 3 days. The most common admission diagnoses were respiratory distress/failure (80%) and prematurity (36% were born at <37 weeks gestational age). 69% of patients admitted to NeoStaT were able to be dispositioned back to their parents and 29% were transported off island. 2 patients died prior to transport. Among the 23 transported patients, the most common diagnosis was prematurity (<37 weeks gestational age), which included 17 patients (74%). All transported patients survived the transport and to eventual hospital discharge. 18 (78%) of transports were performed by a military neonatal transport team based out of the U.S. Naval Hospital-Okinawa (USNHO)/18th Medical Group, Kadena AB while 4 (17%) were performed by Tripler Army Medical Center (TAMC) and 1 was performed by a civilian air ambulance company. TAMC was the most common transport destination, accepting 16 patients (70%) while USNHO accepted the other 7 patients (30%). The total costs of these transports were estimated to be $6.5M. Discussion: This study highlights the scope of personnel, patients, and transports associated with the NeoStaT when Guam no longer had a NICU that met U.S. accreditation standards. The authors believe this study may be useful in future considerations on how to most affectively meet the dependent care needs of military-affiliated families stationed in present and future strategic locations around the world.