Before new parents leave Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center with their baby, they receive guidance on how to keep that child safe at home and on the road. Now, because of support from the FloydSpirit Foundation, they will also leave with a simple tool designed to help in an emergency.
Families in the Family Birth Center will receive child identification kits that include two durable tags for a child’s car seat. The tags hold emergency contact and medical information, helping first responders and health care teams quickly identify a child and connect with family members or caregivers if needed. The project is a joint effort of the Foundation, the Family Birth Center and the Atrium Health Floyd Trauma Injury Prevention Program.
For Dr. Cline Jackson, an emergency room physician at Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center and father of six, the kits offer reassurance. His son with Down syndrome is minimally verbal, and Jackson said the tags could make an important difference in a crisis.
“This is a great idea,” Jackson said. “The way that this can be attached to a car seat is such a simple solution.”'
The kits will be introduced as part of child safety education before families leave the hospital, placing that information in front of parents at a moment when they are preparing to take their newborn home.
“This approach brings safety education to the point of care, when families are most engaged and receptive,” said Sarah Husser, director of the FloydSpirit Foundation.
For families like the Jacksons, the simple kit provides one more layer of reassurance.
“This has always been one of our concerns.” Jackson said. “If our son ever found himself in an emergency, how would information be conveyed? This is such a simple thing. If he gets separated from us, he is likely going to be around one of his car seats where someone can find one of these tags. For us, in our situation, that is really cool.”
For the Jacksons and other Atrium Health Floyd families, that small step can mean a great deal. It’s one more way we extend care beyond discharge and into the moments that matter most.