Today we’d like to introduce you to Lindsay Spurgeon.
Hi Lindsay, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
NeoHERO Foundation (Helping Educate Responders On-scene) was founded on March 7, 2025 by myself, Lindsay Spurgeon, I am a Board-Certified Neonatal Nurse Practitioner, Board-Certified Neonatal-Pediatric Transport provider, a Trauma Certified Registered Nurse with Board Certification of Emergency Nursing, and a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant. I am currently working at more than three neonatal intensive care units across the United and States. The NeoHERO mission is to improve neonatal health in the prehospital setting by providing expert care at birth and following delivery through transport.
The NeoHERO purpose is to collaborate with and support first responders by providing them with ongoing education and certification of neonatal resuscitation.
Our story started through my experience with responding to pages to the ER to resuscitate newborns being brought in by local EMS. At times it has been due to the newborn being born at home, being born preterm before making it to the hospital, and sometimes it has been a newborn that was born at the hospital and discharged home presumed healthy, only to come in days later not breathing and with no heartbeat. Through these experiences and through my experience working in neonatal transport, I have had the opportunity to understand the challenges emergency responders face with the neonatal population.
Currently in the state of South Carolina it is not a requirement that EMS and fire be trained in neonatal resuscitation. Through my experiences and talking with the paramedics and first responders I learned that they feel ill prepared when caring for these babies. Not only do our local governments not require, pay, or provide the training, they also do not provide the neonatal sized equipment for them to do so.
Through grants, donations, and sponsorships, we are working to raise the funds to pay for this training and equipment.
NeoHERO’s goal in addition to providing education is to be able to offer additional supplies and equipment to first responders. We want to support the process of newborn transport to the hospital the right way, and the safe way. NeoHERO would like to offer thermoregulation kits for preterm infants, as well as additional harnesses, and resuscitation devices that are currently not within the budget.
Ongoing education is the reality of any medical personnel. The expectation and standard is to be constantly learning and constantly refreshing on what you have learned. NRP will need to be renewed every 2 years to remain current. Our initiative is to provide quarterly simulations to first responders, as well as the opportunity to take additional newborn stabilization courses such as STABLE.
We currently have 12 departments in 2 different states waiting for our services. These departments include fire departments, emergency medical transport services, and a paramedic program with a technical college.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The response from the community has been extremely positive! The emergency responder’s in the community have embraced the foundation and our mission. By doing so the foundation has really taken off! It has only been rough because there has been so much to do and so little time! Raising funds for our mission is the current challenge. We have a silent auction on our website on May 2nd and we have an upcoming open house hosted by Charleston Fire Department on June 22nd. NeoHERO Foundation has an incredible board that has offered a tremendous amount of support. I’d like to thank Dr Assaad Merchak, Ellen Lebold, Danielle Mercer, and DeAnna Danley for upholding the NeoHERO mission and devoting their time and efforts for an incredible cause.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a neonatal nurse practitioner also specializing in neonatal air and ground transport via ambulance, rotor-wing, and fixed-wing flight. I currently travel for work to multiple neonatal intensive care units across the US. I am a certified legal nurse consultant and own my own legal consulting firm. Prior to becoming a neonatal nurse practitioner my background was emergency and trauma care, neonatal and pediatric transport, and pediatric forensics. I am most proud of the fact that I am a single mother, and my daughter and son are my number one supporters in all things.
What matters most to you?
What matters most to me is knowledge sharing. It is important in todays society to help others and to seek to understand. In the medical profession a person should always be finding was to continue their education and keep up on the latest research and practices, It is also very important to knowledge share about topics you are an expert in to promote and support collaboration among different disciplines and specialties. For example, I’m a neonatal expert, so I should take pride in sharing my knowledge with emergency responders so they can provide newborns with the best possible care.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.neoHEROfoundation.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neohero_foundation/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61573933327274
