A $100,000 project to make iPads available for use by St. Luke's Hospital
patients has launched in the Birthing Center.
New mothers and families can check out an iPad for the duration of their
stay, viewing educational videos on subjects including breastfeeding,
newborn baby care, postpartum care and sudden infant death syndrome.
Patients can also use the iPads for entertainment, utilizing news apps,
Facebook, Skype, Netflix, a white noise app to help with sleep and numerous
other features.
The iPad project is funded by the St. Luke's Foundation's annual
Circle of Light event and individual donors, and the intention is to extend
the program to all units of the hospital.
"The Foundation's mission is patient care, education, and clinical
research, and the iPads fell in with two of those brackets," said
Catherine Carter Huber, executive director of the St. Luke's Foundation.
"Education and prevention is such a big focus for us."
Prior to the introduction of the iPads, Birthing Center nurses would have
to push a large TV cart to each patient's room for viewing of educational
VHS videos and DVDs.
"It's been wonderful," said Lori Swanson, manager of the
Birthing Center. "It was embarrassing to the nurses to have patients
come in and get this great care here, and then they were looking at these
videos that were a step back in time."
Birthing Center patient Chelsae Kalm (pictured in photo above, with husband
Jordan and their daughter, Jade), who gave birth on April 3 to Jade, weighing
7 lb 10 oz, said she appreciated using the iPad during her stay.
She had experienced the old-style delivery of newborn education when her
first daughter was born, and added, "I think it's really great
for families to be able to go on and watch all of the important videos
you need to watch and be able to go on Facebook to interact with family
and friends."