Baby ID Cards Help Hospitals

A Tustin entrepreneur has come out with a product to tighten security at hospital maternity wards and prevent mix-ups and abductions of newborns.

Jack Menges, 57, has introduced the “Baby Security Card System,” a combination digital camera, laptop computer, printer and proprietary software unit he sells for $6,950. Operated by a hospital technician, the system produces two cards containing an infant’s photo, birth information and a baby identification number. A baby’s footprint can be added to the back as an added security measure.

One card is attached to the newborn’s crib, and another goes to hospital security or the medical records department. The two cards must match for a child to be checked out of the hospital. The majority of baby cards used in hospitals today have no photos, according to Ben Ermini of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in Arlington, Va.

If a baby is abducted, a digital image of the infant, as well as relevant personal data, can be e-mailed from the computer’s hard drive to local law enforcement agencies, the FBI and the Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Many hospitals do not take photos of infants immediately after birth, Ermini said.

The Baby Security Card System has generated interest among about a dozen area hospitals, Menges said. Both Coastal Communities Hospital and Santa Ana Hospital Medical Center have signed on to buy a unit. “It’s an added measure of security and increases the comfort level for the patients,” said Lisa Wilson, director of business development at the two Orange County hospitals.

Information: (714) 544-0477.