Officials said the unit's needs vary, depending on the size and the age of the child.
"We have to have specific equipment because of safety. We're still in a motor vehicle," said staff nurse Jacci Patterson.
Patterson is part of one of two specially trained teams that share the unit -- transporting critically ill children from one hospital to another. With one truck between them, they are stretched thin, so they are hoping a lot of people will read the Raleigh News & Observer Tuesday morning as part of the
Kids Day
fund-raiser.
"The newspaper will cost you a dollar and 75 cents of that dollar goes directly to the purchase of the new vehicle this year," said Kathleen Privette, of WakeMed.
A fully-equipped truck costs about $250,000. Officials said a second truck will keep more trained personnel on the road.
In years past, the fund-raiser paid for equipment in the neonatal intensive care unit and for equipment in the children's emergency department.
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