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Preventing Infant/Child Abduction
All employees have a
responsibility in protecting infants and children from being abducted from our
hospital.
By knowing a few basic
principles you can help keep infants and children from being harmed.
Abductor Profile
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Usually an overweight female
between 14 – 48 years of age; average age 28 years old
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May seem emotionally immature;
suffer from low self-esteem with a history of manipulative behavior
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May have a history of
miscarriages or infertility
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May have faked pregnancy or
misrepresented herself as pregnant
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Usually is married or
cohabitating; relationship may be troubled or strained
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May be attempting to “save the
relationship” by abducting a child
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Has planned the abduction, but
selection is random and opportunistic
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Usually targets an infant/child
of the same race
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Usually acts alone, but may have
a “partner” who will create a distraction to lure staff away from the target
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Usually has no criminal record or
may have non-violent offenses such as shop lifting, forgery or check fraud
Potential Abductor
Behavior
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Abductors are known to search out
targeted rooms. These include rooms that are out of view of the nurses’
station, playrooms, and those close to stairwells, fire exits and elevators.
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Abductors have also been known to
create a diversion in another area of the hospital to facilitate an infant/child
abduction.
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Questions about hospital
procedures and floor layout, such as “When is feeding time?” “When are babies
taken to the mothers?” or “Where are the stairs”
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Newborn babies who are being
physically carried in the hospital
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Persons who are carrying large
packages, totes or duffel bags off patient care areas
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Repeated visiting “just to see”
an infant or child
Identifying UTMB
Hospital Employees
All UTMB hospital
personnel are to wear clearly visible identification badges. Neonatal
Nurseries/Children’s Hospital employees wear the same UTMB badge with a dolphin
logo in the lower left corner.
Identifying UTMB
Babies and Children
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At the time of birth, all infants
are assigned a numbered umbilical cord clamp with matching numbered wristbands.
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Wristbands may be placed on
either the arm or the leg.
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Wristbands are worn until after
an infant is discharged. The mother may then remove the ID bands once she has
left the hospital with her infant.
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Matching adult bands with the
same numbers are made. One is placed on the mother’s wrist, and the second one
is placed on the wrist of the person designated by the mother.
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In addition a picture of each
infant is taken at birth and kept in the patient chart.
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Ill parents/visitors are asked to
check in at the nurses’ station before entering a patient’s room.
Bassinets must be secured
at all times. Any unsecured bassinets will be considered suspect requiring that
all infants and children be accounted for
Child Abduction
Actions for
Suspected Infant/Child Abduction
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Call University Police at Ex
772-1111 immediately
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Describe the person and situation
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Notify the charge nurse
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University Police will call a
“Pink
Alert”
over the overhead paging system
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University Police will notify
Galveston Police and the FBI
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During a “Pink
Alert”
employees are on alert for any suspicious behavior
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Personnel will be assigned to
monitor exits until University Police arrive
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University Police will monitor
hallways and exits
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Social Services will be notified
for additional support services
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Requests for information are
referred to Office of University Advancement (OUA)
What to Teach
Parents on how to reduce the possibility of an Infant Abduction
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Never give the infant/child to
anyone without properly verifying hospital identification (the dolphin
logo is specific to the Newborn Nursery/Children’s Hospital areas)
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Know which nurse is assigned to
their care and their child
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Question unfamiliar persons
entering their room or inquiring about their child, even if the person is in
hospital attire or seems to have a reason for being there
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Inquire where the infant/child is
being taken for tests and how long the tests will take. Find out who authorized
the tests.
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Alert the nurses immediately if a
person or their answers seem questionable
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