UNION HOSPITAL MATERNITY SERVICES

Safety at the Hospital

HUGS - Infant Security

All infants will receive a matching ankle and wrist bracelet at delivery. The numbers found on the baby's bracelets will match the numbers on the cord clamp, mom's wrist bracelet and the bracelet placed on dad's (or the designated person's) wrist. Please leave ALL bracelets on until after discharge.

During your and your baby's hospitalization, only mom, the designated other, physician or OB staff can transport the baby to and from the nursery.

All OB staff should be wearing pink/rose-colored scrubs and have a Union Hospital photo ID.

The Hugs System
The Hugs System is an advanced electronic system for preventing infant abduction. Leading hospitals across North America like Union Hospital have selected Hugs for its security, flexibility and ease of use.

Security
The Hugs Infant Protection System is designed to prevent infants from being removed from a facility without authorization.

Each infant wears a small tag around the ankle that contains a tiny radio transmitter. Once activated, the tag sends a regular message called a Heartbeat™ to indicate that it is functioning properly. These messages are relayed to a control computer, so that tags are supervised at all times.

Each facility has a designated "safe area," usually the maternity ward. This is where infants are normally located, and they may be moved freely within this area. All exits from the safe area are monitored by Exciters. As soon as a tag comes near an exit, an alarm occurs showing the specific tag and its exact location.

As long as the infant is wearing a Hugs tag, he or she cannot be passed through a monitored exit undetected. And with the special tamper-proof strap, an alarm immediately occurs if anyone attempts to cut off the tag.

Full Supervision
Hugs continually monitors the activity and status of all active tags. Each tag emits a regular "Heartbeat" message every 10 seconds to indicate that it is OK. If the system does not receive a Heartbeat message within a set time period, then an alarm is generated. This allows a facility to provide one of the highest levels of security possible.

Baby Friendly
The Hugs tag is the smallest active reusable tag available and weighs a mere 1/3 of an ounce. Its rounded edges ensure that it does not pinch or irritate the baby. The strap material contains no latex, is hypoallergenic, and does not stretch. It is easily adjusted to account for normal weight loss. The unique shape of the tag also helps the tag from being kicked off, while still allowing the ankle joint to move freely. The tag has no moving parts that could break, pinch the infant or make installation of the strap difficult. The tag stands up to soiling, UV light and cleaning. Both tag and strap are completely waterproof, allowing infants to be bathed.