In an effort to support the safety of newborns and their families, CGH Medical Center will discontinue the submission of birth announcements to local newspapers, starting Monday, January 1, 2018….Parents will be provided with contact information for local newspapers if they wish to make their own announcement.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has reported that a small number of infant abductions have been linked to birth announcements in local papers. Also, the Joint Commission, which evaluates and accredits more than 21,000 health care organizations and programs and over 4000 hospitals in the United States, recommended that hospitals discourage parents from publishing their newborns’ names in newspapers as well as posting on social media.
Listings of newborns in the paper is typically a voluntary act by the mother. Hospitals have facilitated it by getting information from mothers and obtaining a signed release, before providing information to a paper.
To submit a birth announcement to your local paper, email them or deliver or mail a hard copy of the information to the newspaper’s office. Please include
- baby’s full name
- parents’ names
- parents’ place of residence
- weight of the baby
- place of the birth
- date of the birth
- parents’ phone number for verification.
We appreciate the understanding and support of our communities. Together, we can create a safe and secure environment for our patients and their babies, and allow us to continue to deliver top quality care while in our hospital.