May 10, 2017

Cleveland Clinic Children’s Becomes First in Region to Provide Families Live Webcam Access to Their NICU Infants

Premature newborn  baby girl

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Babies born prematurely can be hospitalized for weeks or even months, making it difficult for parents and family to always be by their sides. In an effort to make parents’ time-away from their newborns a little less stressful, Cleveland Clinic Children’s is installing a new camera system in its Neonatal Intensive Care Units to give parents an on-demand, video-only view of their infants.

The system, called NicView, is distributed by Natus Medical Incorporated. Cleveland Clinic Children’s is the first pediatric hospital in Northeast Ohio to adopt the technology which has launched at its Hillcrest Hospital and main campus locations. A future installation is planned for Fairview Hospital.

Todd and Stacy Teter of Strongsville made a generous donation to purchase the system and bring NicView to Cleveland Clinic Children’s. The gift is the family’s “thank you” to the hospital’s doctors and nurses who have cared for several of their five combined children over the years – including Stacy’s youngest, son Caden, who was born prematurely at 32 weeks and spent 11 days in the NICU at Fairview Hospital in 2002.

“Whenever we’ve had a sick child at Cleveland Clinic Children’s, we knew it was the best possible place for the success of their health,” said Mr. Teter. “When Caden was born premature, the hardworking NICU doctors and nurses made a huge difference in Stacy and Caden’s life. We are honored to be able to give back and support their efforts to provide a higher level of patient and family care through the NicView project.”

In total, Cleveland Clinic Children’s will install 87 NicView cameras. A bedside camera transmits live video of the baby through a secure and private system that families can access with their unique code and display on any internet-accessible smartphone, laptop, tablet or computer.

The cameras – which are individually mounted to each baby’s bed space, conveniently out of the way for NICU caregivers to readily care for the infants – run on the hospital’s network and do not interfere in any way with the technology otherwise in use in the unit. NICU staff have been trained on the use of the system and have the option of turning off the camera when needed.

For security and safety, none of the images are recorded or stored, and only the infant’s parents are given unique usernames and passwords to access the live stream video of their babies. The parents, in turn, may share access with family members near or far.

“We are extremely grateful for the Teter family’s generosity and the peace of mind this technology will give other parents,” said Giovanni Piedimonte, M.D., chairman of Cleveland Clinic Children’s.

Cleveland Clinic Children’s, nationally ranked in pediatric care by U.S. News & World Report, had over 1,200 admissions in 2015 at its Level III Neonatology Intensive Care Units in Cleveland Clinic’s health system, located at its main campus and at Fairview and Hillcrest hospitals.

About Cleveland Clinic Children’s

Cleveland Clinic Children’s is a part of the Cleveland Clinic health system and offers full medical, surgical and rehabilitative care for infants, children and adolescents. Cleveland Clinic Children’s supports 126 acute care beds at Cleveland Clinic's main campus and 284 pediatric beds system wide; in addition, pediatric services are available at more than 40 sites across Northeast Ohio. A staff of more than 300 full-time pediatricians and sub-specialists see 750,000 pediatric visits each year and provide hospital care for 13,000 children per year. Cleveland Clinic Children’s is a non-profit, multi-specialty academic medical center integrating clinical care, research and education. Cleveland Clinic Children’s consistently ranks among the “Best Children’s Hospitals” by U.S.News & World Report. Visit us online at www.clevelandclinic.org/childrens and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/clevelandclinicchildrens.

About Cleveland Clinic

Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit multispecialty academic medical center that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, it was founded in 1921 by four renowned physicians with a vision of providing outstanding patient care based upon the principles of cooperation, compassion and innovation. Cleveland Clinic has pioneered many medical breakthroughs, including coronary artery bypass surgery and the first face transplant in the United States. U.S. News & World Report consistently names Cleveland Clinic as one of the nation’s best hospitals in its annual “America’s Best Hospitals” survey. Among Cleveland Clinic’s 51,000 employees are more than 3,500 full-time salaried physicians and researchers and 14,000 nurses, representing 140 medical specialties and subspecialties. Cleveland Clinic’s health system includes a 165-acre main campus near downtown Cleveland, 10 regional hospitals, more than 150 northern Ohio outpatient locations – including 18 full-service family health centers and three health and wellness centers – and locations in Weston, Fla.; Las Vegas, Nev.; Toronto, Canada; Abu Dhabi, UAE; and London, England. In 2016, there were 7.1 million outpatient visits, 161,674 hospital admissions and 207,610 surgical cases throughout Cleveland Clinic’s health system. Patients came for treatment from every state and 185 countries. Visit us at clevelandclinic.org. Follow us at twitter.com/ClevelandClinic. News and resources available at newsroom.clevelandclinic.org.

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