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Cambridge Memorial Hospital is leading the way as the first hospital in Waterloo region to launch a new system aimed at stopping baby kidnappings.
Called Hugs, this little device clips onto a baby’s ankle. It links up with the hospital’s real-time tracking system, and if someone tries to take a baby out of the pediatric unit without permission, alarms go off, elevators halt, doors lock, and every staff member gets notified right away.
“It’s been very well received from parents,” said Melissa Sockett, who manages the hospital’s emergency department. “If the child happens to be in the nursery and mom and dad want to go get a coffee, they know that their child is being cared for in the unit.”
The hospital started using these devices on October 1.
This idea dates back to 2010 when plans for expanding the hospital were underway. But it wasn’t until that expansion wrapped up earlier this year that they could actually put Hugs into action.
Sockett mentioned that while there has never been an abduction attempt at the hospital, with over 1,500 births each year they wanted to be ahead of any possible risk.
“Keeping staff and patients safe has always been a priority,” she said. “This system is another layer in that approach.”
Infant kidnappings are ‘pretty rare’
The Missing Children Society of Canada reports there were 32,680 missing child cases filed last year nationwide.
Patricia Hung, president of missing persons and police partnerships at the Missing Children Society of Canada, explains infant abductions happen “relatively rare” in Canada.
Even though they’re uncommon, Hung stresses hospitals still need to take them seriously.
“Even though they are low risk, they have a high impact and high potential for harm,” she said.
Hung advises hospitals should use several strategies together-like security measures on site, regular staff training, keeping parents informed, ID bracelets for babies plus alert systems like Hugs-to prevent abductions effectively.
“No single measure is perfect on its own,” she said. “But together they create a strong, reliable safety net.”
