May 9, 2008

CONTACT:
Communications Department
(320) 251-2700, ext. 74980

St. Cloud Hospital discontinues birth announcements

St. Cloud, Minn. – In order to maintain the safety of its littlest patients, St. Cloud Hospital will no longer provide birth announcements to newspapers beginning Monday, May 12. This is part of a national trend to maintain the health and safety of infants.

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children reports that between 1983 and 2004, 230 infants were abducted in the United States, with 11 still missing. This is a conservative number as not all abductions are reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
Data shows:

29 percent of abductions occur at home
17 percent from other locations
54 percent at the hospital

“One infant is too many,” said Lori Kurowski, R.N. at St. Cloud Hospital.

Kurowski, along with Amy Bemboom, R.N., spearheaded a safety initiative looking at ways to improve the safety of infants born at St. Cloud Hospital.

“It is a hospital’s general duty and responsibility to take reasonable care to prevent the occurrence of harm, or abduction, from occurring,” said Penny Beattie, R.N., B.S.N., MBA, care center director of the Women and Children’s Center at St. Cloud Hospital.

For health care organizations still providing birth announcements to the media, the National Center for Exploited and Missing Children strongly recommends that the facility reconsider its position on providing this information in order to reduce liability and potential harm.

Infant abduction is an increasing concern within hospitals and has resulted in most implementing an infant security system as well as other practice changes to enhance the security of its littlest patients.

Learn more about St. Cloud Hospital's Family Birthing Center

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