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Mercy Fairfield looks to beef up maternity ward security

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By Michael D. Pitman, Staff Writer 5:17 PM Sunday, August 16, 2009

FAIRFIELD — Mercy Hospital Fairfield is planning to make newborns safer.

The upcoming Mercy golf outing set for Sept. 14 at Beckett Ridge Country Club will help fund the security software upgrade for the hospital’s maternity ward.

“We know the best chance is to prevent an abduction is within the walls of the hospital,” said Michele Stokes, Mercy Fairfield’s clinical director for women services. “The upgrades system will give us more information about where the babies are located on the unit.”

The security system upgrade will act as a global positioning system for babies in the maternity ward, Stokes said. It constantly sends out signals to the system.

“We can actually see them moving around the unit,” Stokes said. “If I see a baby moving down the hallway, I can actually pick them out and hover over that (with the computer mouse) and it will tell me immediately who that baby is and what room that baby is in.”

Currently, when babies are born at Mercy, they receive a transponder tag. That tag will alert nurses and security if a baby is taken too close to an exit. The new system, Stokes said, will reduce three steps, which helps improve customer service.

Because of the streamlined system — which is operated on a secure Web server — it also helps reduce human error. Additionally, nurses can admit or discharge babies with their moms from any computer station, including the new bed-side computers.

Hospital spokesman Greg Ossmann said the security upgrade is consistent with Mercy’s goals.

“It’s consistent with what comes first at the hospital, and that’s the safety of our patients. And that cannot be any more pronounced than a mom and a newborn,” Ossmann said.

To play in the golf outing, the cost is $250 per person or $1,000 for a foursome. For details or to play, contact Mel Pfirrman at (513) 863-3083 or mgolfmtp@aol.com.

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