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Parents who’ve had premature babies are familiar with the reality.
As the fragile newborn gets 24-hour medical care, the parents could go weeks or months apart from their infants.
Traveling back and forth to a hospital becomes their new commute. Now those delivering at South Shore University Hospital could experience a little bit of comfort to ease that prolonged separation anxiety.
The Bay Shore hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) has just been outfitted with cameras that parents can access through their phones or computers. And they’ll be rolling 24 hours a day.
Northwell Health, the healthcare system that owns and operates South Shore, made the announcement this morning.
“Having the NicView camera system in our NICU has been transformative for both parents and healthcare providers,” said Dr. Scarlett McKinsey, associate director of neonatology for Northwell’s eastern region. “It allows parents to stay connected with their premature babies, offering a sense of reassurance and emotional support during a challenging time.”
There’s also care and communications benefits for the doctors and nurses.
“For the medical team, it enhances communication and collaboration with families, ensuring they are involved in every step of their baby’s care journey,” Dr. McKinsey said.
The unit’s 16 cameras are password protected and offer end-to-end encryption and SSL authentication, “ensuring a high degree of privacy,” hospital officials said.
The $142,000 cost of the project, including installation, was funded entirely by philanthropic support, through a fundraising effort led by hospital board member and donor Karen Grando, alongside Frank Boulton of the Long Island Ducks, Suffolk Transportation, Webster Bank, Frank Bono, the owner of PRIMI Italian Steakhouse in West Islip, and what’s called the 2023 Rosé committee.
The 6,300-square-foot NICU opened in October of 2022.
One of South Shore University Hospital’s 16 new NicView 2 cameras in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) to give parents an on-demand, 24/7, video-only view of their infants through a computer or phone app. (courtesy photo)
