Your newborn baby’s footprint framed on a certificate or molded in plaster used to be merely a keepsake. Now that same print is being used by hospitals to serve as individual identification in keeping babies safe.

A footprint is as unique as a fingerprint and hospitals are now using an electronic stamp to replace paper and ink for precise identification adding an extra layer of security for new moms and dads.

The Newborn Safety System which uses LiveScan Technology to capture high resolution newborn footprints is especially helpful in situations of abduction, switched babies, natural disasters and abandonments. The technology has garnered attention and praise from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and has been included as a recommendation for hospitals in its most recent Infant Security Guidelines.

Locally, the Desert Care Network Hospitals – JFK Memorial Hospital in Indio, Hi-Desert Medical Center in Joshua Tree, and Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs – have recently installed the innovative system developed by CertaScan Technologies.

“We are so proud of the care we provide to newborns and their families at Desert Care Network hospitals,” said CEO Michele Finney. “This new technology will offer even more comfort and peace of mind to the families welcoming newborns into the world at our hospitals.”

The system is entirely safe for use on babies and provides outstanding footprint quality. Nurses prefer the system because it is easy to use, seamless to adopt and replaces the time-consuming and messy ink and paper method. The digital footprints and security photo can be stored efficiently in the newborn’s electronic medical record and shared with law enforcement. Additionally, footprints – like fingerprints – can be used for forensic identification throughout the life of the child.

At Desert Care Network hospitals each new mom still receives a keepsake certificate of her newborn’s footprint which can be personally enhanced with colors, fonts and borders from the comfort of her home at www.firstfootprint.com.

This new form of identification has quickly gained praise from hospital administrators, nurses, law enforcement agencies, and especially from parents, says CertaScan, as it provides a new layer of protection alongside that important lifetime keepsake.