Parents of infants being cared for in the Deborah F. Sager Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Inspira Medical Center Vineland now have a window through which to see their newborns, day or night, from virtually anywhere. The AngelEye Health Camera System, recently installed at the Deborah F. Sager NICU was made possible by a generous donation from Robert Buono, Sr. to the Deborah F. Sager Memorial Fund. (DFSMF)
The HIPAA-compliant technology allows parents and loved ones to securely watch their newborn baby on their smartphone, tablet, PC or even large-screen television at their convenience. In late September, Inspira Medical Center Vineland became the first hospital in southern New Jersey to offer this technology to its NICU families.
The equipment cost, which includes 16 cameras, and yearly service fee were gifted to Inspira Health in memory of Rosemary Buono who was a labor and delivery nurse at the former Newcomb Hospital in Vineland and provided her nursing skills to children at the Vineland Health Department.
“We are so grateful to Bob and the entire Buono family who generously funded this project in memory of their beloved Rosemary,” said Robin Walton, Senior Vice President of External Affairs and Chief Philanthropy Officer for Inspira Health. “Their gift will touch the hearts of NICU families every day by allowing parents and other loved ones to have the reassurance and comfort of seeing their little baby anytime they wish.”
The AngelEye Health camera system gives parents the ability to securely share access to the live feed of their baby. Except during certain treatments and procedures, the camera is on around the clock. To date, every family has consented to utilizing the technology since it was installed and launched.
“Being able to provide our families with a window into our NICU can be a great source of comfort to them,” said Dawn Goffredo, Assistant Vice President of Maternal Child Health for Inspira Health. “Our moms and dads wish they could spend every moment at their baby’s side, but that’s not realistic for most families. The camera system is also a blessing for grandparents, siblings and other loved ones who might live out of state or be unable to visit our NICU.”
Nemours Children’s Health, the pediatric affiliate of Inspira Health, also appreciates the support for the NICU. “The Nemours neonatology team is grateful to the Deborah F. Sager Memorial Fund for its continued support to the NICU and to the generosity of the Buono Family in making this happen. Caring for NICU babies in a holistic way means providing access and reducing barriers for families at an already challenging time. We are committed to innovative ways to connect families with their NICU babies when they can’t be there all the time.” said Ashish Gupta, MD, FAAP, MBA, CPE, Section Chief of Neonatology and Director of Nemours Children’s Health, Delaware Valley Partnerships.
For Nicole and Richard Kinzler of Franklinville, NJ, watching the live stream of their third child helped the couple continually feel connected to their baby boy when Nicole had to return home from the NICU to care for her other two school-aged sons and get some much-needed rest. The couple’s older boys, pictured, also enjoyed checking on their new brother, RJ, who was born almost eight weeks early. Also, Nicole’s sister-in-law in North Carolina enjoyed looking in on her newest nephew.
Baby RJ Kinzler was the first NICU patient to be livestreamed to the family once the system was up and running. For Nicole, the ability to check in on little RJ, at any time, was “tremendously reassuring.”
It is not uncommon for babies who are born pre-term or with complex medical conditions to spend weeks or months in a NICU. And even with 24/7 visitation, parents often have to spend time away from the NICU for a variety of reasons. It is during those times that the camera system allows them to stay visually connected with their babies.
Approximately 13 percent, or more than 13,000 babies born in New Jersey each year require neonatal intensive care. There is no cost to families for this service. The system does not transmit sound, and for added security the video stream is not recorded or stored.
