Last week in Helena, Montana, Michelle Yallup walked out of a hospital in Anaconda with her newborn baby. This moment is usually wrapped in joy and nervousness, but in this case, the state of Montana, concerned for the welfare of the child, issued a Missing Endangered Person Alert (MEPA) shortly after law enforcement contacted the state Department of Justice.

Infant abduction from hospitals and birthing centers is a rare but serious threat. This case in Montana last week, while unusual in that it was the mother who was unauthorized to leave the facility with the newborn, still points to the importance of RFID bracelets worn by infants to keep them safe and secure. There are many reasons why hospitals and birthing centers choose to install or upgrade their security systems using Accutech RFID-enabled products: lower total cost of ownership, advanced features, lower rate of false alarms, full compliance, and the most comprehensive customer support program in the industry. In addition to easy integration with existing systems, Accutech and our network of local dealers are committed to making sure that your staff receives the necessary training and support to ensure that there are no weak links in your infant protection system.

Last month a father exited the maternity a Medical Center with his 2-day old infant wrapped in blankets inside a duffel bag to avoid a visit by child welfare workers. An investigative report by 3TV Phoenix including security camera footage shows hospital staff twice clearing alarms triggered by the security bracelet worn by the infant while the father tried to exit a locked emergency door. After triggering a 3rd alarm, he was able to exit the maternity ward and make his way to the main lobby.

A father abducted his own infant after the baby tested positive for meth/marijuana in her system.

The Medical Center's website tells expectant mothers to “Rest assured, a stay will not only be comfortable, but secure as well, since we have a state-of-the-art security system to protect new parents and babies while they are here.” In this case, the physical assets of the security system functioned as designed, but an incorrect response to the alarms led to a significant breach in security. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children recommends that facilities conduct drills annually to make sure staff understands what to do if there is an incident and how to respond to the security measures that are in place. Surprise drills and simulated infant abductions demonstrate the ability of staff and security procedures to prevent an abductor from exiting a facility. Making sure that everyone is properly trained and understands how the infant protection system works is critical. According to the Joint Commission, improper use of infant security systems is a key factor in facilities failing an audit.

Alarm fatigue is a growing and very real problem in hospital environments. Even a casual observer can’t help but notice how many beeping machines are part of the modern medical facility. In addition to monitoring patients’ vital signs and medication schedule, facility-wide alarm systems protect against things like fire, theft, HVAC malfunction and infant abduction. A recent Joint Commission alert to hospitals calling attention to the problem of noise fatigue warned that “desensitized” hospital workers sometimes ignore these warnings. In this case, the immediate response to the infant abduction alarm was to shut it off - while conversing with  a nervous looking man with a duffle bag trying to use an emergency exit. It is hard to imagine that alarm fatigue did not play a role in this inappropriate response.

At Accutech, we are keenly aware of the role our RFID security, access control and two-way communication products play in hospital and nursing care environments and take comprehensive measures to ensure that our products do not inadvertently add to this growing problem. Our RFID security systems employ technology and design that minimizes the risk of interference from electronic devices and has a proven record of alarm integrity - boasting the lowest rate of false alarms in the industry. The technology in modern maternity wards places tremendous demands on the staff entrusted with their newborn patients’ care. All Accutech products are designed and built with this in mind and aim to assist in elevating that care by minimizing unnecessary interference and distraction and offering features that allow our systems to be easily customized for each environment.

Cuddles infant protection systems are among of the most interference free on the market, using technology that minimizes interference from other devices and reduces false alarms. There are many reasons why facilities choose to install and depend on Accutech products: lower total cost of ownership, advanced features, lower rate of false alarms, full compliance, the most comprehensive customer support program in the industry (including free 24-hour technical support and a full one-year warranty), and a dealer network that ensures local service. The Accutech advantage can help to ensure that your staff spends more time caring for patients and less time managing systems.

Accutech Security is Releasing a Free Upgrade to Their Software Solution Across All Platforms Featuring Significant Improvements to the Graphic User Interface and Simplified Reporting.

Accutech Security announces the release of version 7.0 of its enterprise software solution free to existing users. This update introduces intuitive enhancements to the Graphic User Interface (GUI), consolidation and simplification of reporting features and a change to SQL as the underlying database framework. Facilities protected by software-enhanced Cuddles Infant Protection, Kidz Pediatric Elopement and ResidentGuard Wander Management systems will benefit from these intuitive improvements to functionality and reporting at no additional cost.

Version 7.0 is built on an SQL framework, rather than Access, making it an IT friendly platform and allowing for the development of additional features. One of these features is the visible tag assignment window giving users an easy-to-use interface to activate and assign and transfer multiple tags at once. In addition, it is now possible to attach a picture to a tag within the system. With the free upgrade to version 7.0, tag administration tasks can now be done from any computer on the network. In previous versions, these tasks required physical access to the host machine.

A redesign of the GUI makes version 7.0 an intuitive and user-friendly front end to the industry’s most reliable and cost-efficient advanced electronic monitoring systems. Consolidation of reporting functions mean simpler, easy-to-understand information about the system and any alarm events.

Accutech Security's specialized, RFID-enabled solutions have been installed in more than 5,000 locations worldwide. As a leading manufacturer of perimeter based security systems for over 28 years, Accutech has extensive experience working with businesses of all sizes to provide reliable, cost-effective solutions for the safety and security of people and property within a facility. All Accutech systems are assembled in the U.S., installed and serviced by a vast network of authorized dealers, and backed by the industry’s most comprehensive customer support program.

Last week in Cape Town, South Africa, the Magistrate's Court handed down an indictment for an infant abduction that took place in the Groote Schuur Hospital in 1997. The woman who is charged with kidnapping the two day old infant after convincing the young mother to take a nap while she watched her newborn daughter. The indictment states that she "entered the maternity ward of Groote Schuur Hospital, where Celeste Nurse was convalescing after the birth of her daughter. She befriended her and convinced her to hand her daughter to her so that she could sleep." Eighteen years later, the crime was solved when a younger daughter of the couple who experienced this tragedy entered the same high school as the abducted girl. Their striking resemblance led to truth of their origin.

Infant abduction from hospitals and birthing centers is a rare but serious threat. A report in the United States by the Federal Bureau of Investigation found that 68.1% of infant abductions occur in hospital, whether in the nursery or the mother’s room. This tragic story from South Africa points to the importance of infant protection systems in maternity wards to keep them safe and secure. There are many reasons why hospitals and birthing centers choose to install or upgrade their security systems using Accutech RFID-enabled products: lower total cost of ownership, advanced features, lower rate of false alarms, full compliance, and the most comprehensive customer support program in the industry. In addition to easy integration with existing systems, Accutech and our network of local dealers are committed to making sure that your staff receives the necessary training and support to ensure that there are no weak links in your infant protection system.

An RFID-enabled infant protection system like Cuddles from Accutech has different hardware components that combine to create an alert when an infant wearing a bracelet enters into a protected area or beyond an unauthorized exit. Our unique soft bracelet has an RFID tag attached to it. The tag transmits a signal at a specific radio frequency that can be identified by a controller (receiver) placed near a point of egress. If an alarm is tripped, alerts can be sounded at the point of egress as well as communicated through existing pagers, two-way radios and centralized command panels. Accutech can help to ensure that your staff spends more time caring for patients and less time managing systems.

Carthage Area Hospital’s Maternity Ward has recently implemented a new Cuddles infant protection system provided and installed by Special Care Systems, as a way to bring added support and comfort to parents. The system combines patented tags and bracelets with advanced technology to prevent abductions, while ensuring the general safety and security of infants.

“The system is easy-to-use and the hardware and software work seamlessly, enabling nurses to spend less time managing a “system” and more time focusing on what matters most—caring for their little patients,” said Brian Gray, Senior Sales Engineer of Special Care Systems.

The Cuddles infant protection system manufactured by Accutech uses Radio Frequency Identification, or RFID, to monitor infant activity on the maternity ward. Infants are fitted with a small, comfortable skin sensing bracelet around the ankle or wrist that sends a signal to multiple locations on the unit if the child is removed from the area, spends too much time near a secure door, or if the band is removed or cut. The signal sounds an alarm and the ward will immediately respond with a lockdown until the infant is located. Only nursing personnel can remove or deactivate the bracelets.

“It adds another measure of comfort and confidence for parents. We’ve also added an extra layer of security that provides mom and baby matching capabilities. Each tag is uniquely identifiable to match mom and baby. We wanted to improve the old system with state of the art technology,” said Susan Kennedy, OB Nurse Manager.