The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children reports that among non-family infant abductions, 62% are committed by lone women of child-bearing age who are driven by maternal motives—the desire to raise a child as their own. In most cases, these abductors target newborns in their earliest days of life, underscoring the critical need for robust security measures in maternity wards.

The Challenge: A not-for-profit healthcare system serving a community of 1.4 million people had protocols to protect newborns but sought to do more. Due to growth and acquisitions, there was an inconsistent environment across all locations, making it difficult for staff who worked across their different facilities. With a strategic initiative to secure infants and reassure new parents, the healthcare system identified a need for a unified, advanced security solution. The goal was clear: implement a system that not only pairs infants with their mothers but also mitigates abduction risks and prevents mismatches due to human error.

Implementing such a solution required a partner experienced in healthcare environments, adept in physical security, and committed to delivering on time and within budget. This was a mission that needed both precision and compassion.

Our Solution: Connext was selected to bring this vision to life. With expertise in designing and deploying secure, reliable technology solutions, we approached this project with meticulous planning and execution.

• Comprehensive Site Surveys: Conducting surveys across the main hospital and eight regional facilities to assess and document existing security systems.
• Standardized Security Deployment and User Testing: Designing and implementing a unified, standardized security solution across all facilities, ensuring consistent operation from patient check-in to discharge. Conducting cross-departmental user testing to ensure the solution works for all stakeholders.
• Mother-Baby Matching and Real-Time Monitoring: Integrating a system that securely pairs each infant with their mother, ensuring a safe match at all times and reducing human error. This system continuously monitors patient movement, providing accurate, real-time location data to prevent abduction attempts and misidentifications.

The Results: With Connext’s support, the healthcare system gains a unified security solution across all its facilities, enhancing infant safety and providing parents with the peace of mind they deserve. Designed to provide immediate alerts for security breaches, the new solution:

• Pairs Infants with Parents: Implementing mother-baby matching to ensure that every newborn is correctly paired with their mother.
• Provides Real-Time Location Tracking: Monitoring each infant’s location in real-time for swift action if movement deviates from established protocols.
• Prevents Abductions and Mismatches: Mitigating abduction risks and human error through a secure, consistent system.