A dearth of birth notices
Published on May 14th, 2003
STONEHAM, MA - With burgeoning concerns about family security and confidentiality, birth announcements in your local newspaper may be quickly becoming as extinct as the dinosaurs and the eight-track tape. Hallmark Health System, which operates the Melrose/Wakefield and Lawrence Memorial Hospitals, have announced that they will no longer release local birth announcement information to outlets such as the Stoneham Independent, effective this month.
"We understand that birth announcements in the local newspaper have been a traditional way to publicize the arrival of a new baby," said Hallmark Health's Vice-President of Patient Services and Women's and Children's Services, Christine Candio. "However, the practice has been identified by a number of leading child safety and healthcare organizations as one of the six key factors associated with child abduction."
"This is part of an ongoing effort by Hallmark to insure infant safety and security, even though this is an area where we've never had a problem before," added Candio. "This (the birth announcements) has become more and more an issue of awareness. This is something that could have a very negative on the parents, as well as the newspapers."
According to numbers provided by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), there have been 29 children snatched from their family's home between 1996-2001 after discharge from the hospital. Subsequent investigations have revealed, according to the NCMEC, that abductors have used birth announcements printed in the local newspaper as a source of information in kidnapping attempts. There are four documented cases in the last 15 years where investigators in South Carolina, Florida, South Dakota and Oregon linked birth announcement to baby abductions.
"We encourage healthcare facilities to be very cautious with the amount of detailed information they release about newborns," said Cathy Nahirny, supervisor for the NCMEC. "The four instances are cases where people went through, utilized the birth announcement as a targeting method find a baby to fit their circumstance, and then went to the home and abducted the child."
"In one of those instances, the mother was murdered," added Nahirny. "And in another the mother was severely beaten...the risk for violence is very high when a baby is abducted from the home."
A total of 29 children nationwide doesn't seem like a staggeringly large number when compared to the millions of babies born annually in the United States, but local family service officials rightly believe that "even a single instance is one too many."
Though Hallmark will no longer openly transmit local births to news media outlets and will advise new parents against it, they will ultimately leave the option up to the parents.
"While we strongly discourage the publication of newborn birth announcements, we have advised those parents still wishing to publicize the birth of their new baby to contact their local newspaper directly," said Candio.
According to Candio, there are more secure options available to loved ones looking for information about newborns such as "web nurseries" protected by encrypted codes. The parents provide the website and password to their family and friends, and it allows even far-away relatives to get a first glimpse at their bundle of joy.
In addition to the facilities in the Hallmark Health Facility, the Winchester Hospital also discontinued the practice of submitting birth information for publication.
"I've been here for four years and, during that time, it has always been our policy not to release that information," said Winchester Hospital spokesperson Angela Putnam, who estimated that two or three parents a year might request information about submitting birth announcements. "In our pre-admission paperwork for OB-GYN patients, we include a form for the newspapers...but it's entirely up to the parents whether they send it in."
Putnam also acknowledged problems with new parents getting besieged with unwanted solicitation and advertising.
"Obviously safety is a huge concern, but what I've heard anecdotally too is that parents were bombarded on the advertising side with direct mail when hospitals released that information," said Putnam. "So there was obviously a hassle factor."
While the stringent policies are in place to protect the patient and their right to confidentiality, it can also lead to difficult situations involving family.
"It's a tough situation because, even on the customer service side, when family members call in, it's hospital policy not to give patient conditions on women in labor," said Putnam. "Patient conditions can change so quickly that we just can't release the information, and it's really tough on the families."
The change in birth announcement policy also comes on the heels of the commencement of the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). HIPAA, which for most health organization took effect on April 14, allows patients to withhold their names and conditions from the hospital directory, and, therefore, withhold their identities from the media. The legislation gives much more of a choice to patients about the information disclosed to newspapers concerning their health status.
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