About 140 infants were abducted from healthcare facilities between 1964 and April 2024, and the number continued to decline, NPR affiliate WHYY reported Aug. 22.
Infant abductions from healthcare facilities have significantly declined compared to abductions from homes or other places, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children found. The decline is thanks hospitals using advanced technologies and protocols to ensure the safety of infant patients, Dan Yaross, president-elect of the International Association of Healthcare Security and Safety, told WHYY.
Hospital security measures include badges or key cards to get into inpatient units, bracelets or monitors that track infants' whereabouts in real-time and will set off alarms if the baby leaves a designated area, bracelets on parents and infants to match information, increased cameras and parent-approved visitor lists.
However, even with these protocols, some abductions still happen, sometimes due to human error or failure to follow protocol. In many cases, the abduction can be due to certain custody arrangements.
"One parent decides, 'I'm taking the child' without telling the other parent or telling the hospital. That happens," Mr. Yaross said. "You have all these other practices and procedures that you try to follow, but if you have a custodial parent and non-custodial parent and they're fighting and arguing and whatever, and both are still allowed to visit the patient, it makes it tough on staff. That's where it really takes a lot of collaboration and coordination."