Mississippi Hospital to Add Infant Security System
In two weeks, the medical center will begin using the Cuddles Infant Protection System, a computerized monitoring system that includes elastic tracking bands placed around the arms or ankles of all new babies. The tracking bands broadcast alarm signals if removed incorrectly or if the infant is taken too close to an exit.
- By Jessica Davis
- April 12, 2018
King’s Daughters Medical Center in Brookhaven, Mississippi, is adding a new security system for its labor, delivery, recovery and postpartum (LDRP) suites. The system is part of a major safety upgrade to protect recovering mothers and their infants.
In two weeks, the medical center will begin using the Cuddles Infant Protection System, a computerized monitoring system that includes elastic tracking bands placed around the arms or ankles of all new babies. The tracking bands broadcast alarm signals if removed incorrectly or if the infant is taken too close to an exit.
“There’s no way anyone could steal a baby now,” LDRP Director Angie Williamson said. “This is a state-of-the-art, gold standard security system.”
If a tracking band sets off an alarm signal, the department’s exit doors are locked down and hospital security is notified. The Cuddles security system also includes monitoring stations where nurses can track infants’ locations. Lockdown signals are broadcast from the band until it is powered off and properly removed by a nurse.
“Moms are keeping the babies in the rooms all the time now, and hard as we try, it’s very difficult to man the room security-wise all the time,” Williamson said. “If the Cuddles system alarms, it shuts everything down.”
Williamson said the security system should be operational by the end of April.
About the Author
Jessica Davis is the Associate Content Editor for 1105 Media.