Newborns at CGH are making their mark on the world one step at a time, but it’s no longer just a keepsake. The Birthing Center at CGH Medical Center, 100 E. LeFevre Road, Sterling, IL, recently installed a new and innovative Infant Safety System, developed by CertaScan Technologies (www.certascantek.com), that helps ensure a baby’s safety from day one. The proprietary system allows the hospital to capture digital, high-resolution, newborn footprints. They can be used for precise identification in emergency situations throughout the child’s life, like abduction, lost baby, or natural disaster.
“The system is entirely safe for use on babies and provides outstanding digital footprint quality,” said Kathy Milby, CGH Director of Maternal-Child Services. “Ink and paper images often smudge, because babies are always moving. Now we are able to capture a digital image of a baby’s footprint….[It] is stored in the newborn’s electronic medical record and is linked to a picture of the baby and the mother’s fingerprint.”
The Newborn Safety System–which uses LiveScan Technology–has received attention and praise from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and has been included as a recommendation for hospitals in its most recent Infant Security Guidelines.
“Much like fingerprints, footprints are unique to each baby, so they can be used for identification that will reinforce the baby’s safety for a lifetime,” added Dr. Paul Steinke, CGH President and CEO.
The CGH Birthing Center gives parents a complimentary birth certificate with their newborn’s footprints. Families will have access online at www.firstfootprint.com to enhance the footprint certificate with colors, different fonts, and borders, after they go home. Parents can also download a digital copy of their baby’s footprints to create other keepsakes as well.
“The CertaScan is another example of how CGH continuously raises the standard of care for our patients,” continued Dr. Steinke….”We’re proud to offer this latest technology in newborn security.”
For more information about newborn digital footprints or about the Birthing Center at CGH Medical Center, please contact 815-625-0400, exttension 5504.
