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Baby Match™ Keeps Newborns Safe at Auburn Memorial Hospital
Jessica Wilson holds her new baby, Izabelle. Mother and daughter were among the first at Auburn Memorial Hospital to receive the Baby Match™ tags in the hospital’s new infant protection system. Photo by Cyndy Ross.
June 7, 2010 – Auburn Memorial Hospital has become the first hospital in the Central New York State area to implement the Baby Match™ complete infant protection system. The Baby Match ™system provides the loyalty and trust that both families and staff need to assure that babies are protected against abduction or mismatching.
Immediately after birth, babies and mothers are provided with electronic tags. Thereafter, the Baby Match™ system allows for real time location and abduction protection of the babies in the hospital’s care. The system further provides a matching feature whereby a mother can verify that she is always in the company of the correct baby.
The strategically placed Infra Red (IR) and Radio Frequency (RF) receivers installed throughout the hospital, are used to determine the exact room location of the infants - in real-time. Additionally, door and elevator monitors are mounted at entry and exit points inside the protected areas so if a badged newborn approaches the protected exit/entrance an alert notification is immediately generated. This means that staff and family can move babies freely within the protected zones but no infants can be removed without prior authorization.
“The Baby Match™ system allows Maternity Staff and families to feel safe and secure during hospitalization, removing a tremendous burden from their minds during a very special time,” stated Betsy Kenneally, Nurse Manager of the Maternity Unit.
“It’s an excellent idea,” said Jessica Wilson, whose baby Izabelle was one of the first to receive an electronic Baby Match™ tag. “It made me feel a lot safer to know that Auburn Memorial Hospital was taking these extra precautions.”
With the increasing number of births at Auburn Memorial Hospital it has become evident that the security must be stronger than ever.
Michael Wasserstien CEO of Visonic Technologies (VT), manufacturer of Baby Match™, says, "We are pleased that Auburn Memorial Hospital selected Baby Match™ to better protect their newborns, not only as a precaution against abduction but also for the peace of mind that mother and baby are matched from birth to discharge from the hospital. We are confident that this will be another reason for mothers to make Auburn Memorial Hospital their hospital of choice for childbirth."
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