Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Launches NeoHERO to Train First Responders
- The NeoHERO Foundation educates and equips first responders with neonatal resuscitation skills and equipment.
- South Carolina faces a critical preterm birth rate of 11.6%, emphasizing the need for neonatal emergency training.
- Founder Lindsay Spurgeon aims for national expansion to ensure all first responders nationwide can save newborn lives.
Image source: Instagram
Lindsay Spurgeon, a Board-Certified Neonatal Nurse Practitioner and neonatal-pediatric transport expert, has founded the NeoHERO Foundation, a South Carolina-based nonprofit dedicated to improving neonatal outcomes by educating first responders in neonatal resuscitation and care. Spurgeon established this nonprofit in March 2025 after witnessing firsthand the critical need for specialized neonatal care in prehospital settings.
A Passion Fueled by Experience
Spurgeon’s extensive clinical background spans multiple NICUs across the U.S. alongside specialized training in neonatal transport via ambulance, helicopter, and fixed-wing aircraft. Through her experience responding to emergency calls involving newborns—such as those born prematurely at home or transported urgently due to life-threatening conditions—she recognized a gap in neonatal emergency care at the local EMS and fire department level.
NeoHERO (Helping Educate Responders On-scene) was founded to meet this need. Spurgeon shared, "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."
The foundation provides ongoing education and certification in the Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) through the American Academy of Pediatrics and supplies neonatal-sized equipment to first responders, ensuring newborns receive expert care from the moment of birth.
Addressing a Critical Need in South Carolina
South Carolina faces a significant challenge with its neonatal health indicators. According to March of Dimes data, the state received an F grade in 2024 for its preterm birth rate of 11.6%. This means approximately 1 in 9 babies are born prematurely—a figure considerably higher than the national average. Preterm birth is a leading cause of infant mortality and long-term complications, making effective neonatal resuscitation critical.
With an estimated 1 in 10 newborns requiring resuscitation at birth, many first responders are unprepared to provide this specialized care. NeoHERO works to fill this gap by partnering with first responder agencies across South Carolina and neighboring states.
NeoHERO's Impact and Future Goals
Since its founding in March, the NeoHERO has made significant strides in educating and equipping first responders to improve neonatal outcomes. In 2025 alone, the foundation plans to certify 84 first responders in neonatal resuscitation through the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP).
NeoHERO provides hands-on training and simulation courses designed specifically for EMS and fire personnel who often lack specialized neonatal resuscitation training. The foundation is working to expand access to this training along with neonatal-sized medical supplies and equipment critical for effective newborn transport, which are frequently absent from local EMS budgets.
An innovative project launching in November 2025 is the NeoPACK™ (Neonatal Prehospital, Airway, Care, Knowledge), a specialized neonatal resuscitation kit designed to support EMS teams in the field with appropriate equipment.
Looking ahead, NeoHERO aims to increase the number and geographic reach of trained first responders while opening a community medical center focused on neonatal health education and support. The foundation received a $20,000 grant from the Medical Society of South Carolina to support these efforts NeoHERO.
Why It Matters to Nurses
Spurgeon hopes NeoHero will expand beyond South Carolina, establishing offices and training centres in cities across the U.S., so that “first responders nationwide are ready when seconds matter most.”
For nurses considering similar or adjacent endeavours, the takeaway is clear: combining clinical insight, community need and creative solutions can bridge systemic gaps and improve neonatal outcomes.
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