UMC will use security bracelets

By Emily Richmond

Thursday, Jan. 3, 2002 | 9:38 a.m.

Babies born at University Medical Center will soon be wearing new security bracelets designed to prevent infant abductions.

The Clark County Commission, which serves as the hospital's board of trustees, approved $166,938 Wednesday for the new infant abduction and patient wandering system. The initial outlay is for the set-up of the system. Officials said the annual cost will be a fraction of that.

Similar to anti-theft devices attached to store merchandise, the bracelet sets off an alarm if the person wearing it moves beyond a set boundary. UMC officials declined to discuss the specifics of the new system, citing security concerns. Most of the bracelet systems used can be removed only with a special tool, and the alarm sounds if the lock is tampered with.

In addition to the maternity ward, the bracelets will be used for head trauma patients at the Rancho Rehabilitation Center.

Last year 5,298 babies were delivered at UMC.

There have been no instances of infant abduction from the UMC nursery or patients wandering from the facility, hospital spokesman Rick Plummer said.

"UMC has longstanding systems, policies and procedures aimed at preventing infant abduction and patient wandering," Plummer said. "The requested equipment ... will allow the hospital to continue to keep its security systems state-of-the-art."

Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center's maternity ward has used infant security bracelets for several years, spokeswoman Ann Lynch said.

Bill Welch, executive director of the Nevada Hospital Association, praised UMC's decision to increase security. Preventing infant abductions has become a top priority at most hospitals, Welch said.

The last reported case of an infant abduction from a hospital nursery was in April 2001 at Washoe Medical Center in Reno. A woman managed to pry a security bracelet off the wrist of a newborn and dropped it in a hospital stairwell before fleeing. The baby was safely recovered hours later by police.

"No system is foolproof," Welch said. "All it takes is for one woman who's already had a baby at a hospital or someone with a friend who's familiar with the security."

Infant abductions are rare. More common are instances of patients with head injuries or dementia wandering from facilities, he said.

"We've had some close scares and we've seen some incidences with serious consequences," Welch said. "It's a problem we're cognizant of and we're trying all the time to improve the preventive measures."

Margarete Sheets, 91, died in June 1999 after wandering away from a care facilty in North Las Vegas. Police said Sheets, who had Alzheimer's disease, managed to leave the facility unnoticed after a door alarm failed. Welch said he could also recall a patient dying after wandering from a facility and crawling into a car.