By Stacia Kalinoski

COTTAGE GROVE, Ore. -- With the state's only Pediatric Intensive Care Unit in Portland, rural hospitals often face more challenges treating seriously injured children.

Now, a grant is helping Cottage Grove Community Hospital train to care for young trauma victims.

Emergency crews in Cottage Grove hear 911 calls about car accidents maybe once a week.  But when it's serious,  and when those injuries involve children, tensions run a little higher.

In a car accident simulation Wednesday, a child mannequin flew from the back seat into the front windshield.  The Cottage Grove Community Hospital only sees trauma cases like this about once a month, so emergency crews don't get a lot of practice.

Now for the first time, 50 responders, nurses, and doctors are getting the practice on a blinking, bleeding child mannequin.  They see that child from the vehicle, into the ambulance and then to the hospital.

"We get to do a lot of textbook learning, a lot of video and lecture, but not a lot of hands on," said Joe Raade, "It's really beneficial for us because there's no simulation. It's real life treatment."

ER Doctor Danny Kranitz's team takes advantage of the chance to work under high-pressure.  It's everything they can do with their limited resources before life flight arrives.

With Portland having the only pediatric-intensive care unit in the state, which is about a 35 minute ride, what happens in this rural ER room is crucial.

"How can we be better, how can we be better...this just allows for some really advanced training," said Life Flight nurse Holly Love.

The grant will help a few Eastern Oregon rural hospitals conduct the same exercise this summer.