-David Crowder, WRGA-
New parents taking their babies home from Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center will soon receive a simple tool designed to help protect children in an emergency.
Funded by the Floyd Spirit Foundation, the new initiative will provide child identification kits to families as newborns are discharged from the hospital’s Family Birth Center.
Each kit includes two durable identification tags that attach to a child’s car seat and hold important essential emergency contact and medical information. In a crisis, the tags can help first responders and health care teams quickly identify a child and connect with family members or care givers.
“This is a great idea,” said Dr. Cline Jackson, an emergency room physician at Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center and father of six children, including a son with Down Syndrome who is minimally verbal. “The way that this can be attached to a car seat is such a simple solution.”
Jackson said the kits offer reassurance in situations where a child may not be able to communicate important contact and health-related information on their own.
“If my son were ever separated from us in an emergent situation, he’s not going to have a way to give information to EMS or health care providers,” Jackson said. “This system gives them a place to look to get that kind of information without us having to sew it into all his clothes.”
The kits will be introduced as part of the Family Birth Center’s child safety education before families leave the hospital. Staff members will provide this tangible safety resource and explain how the tags work while reviewing car seat safety and discharge instructions.
Floyd Spirit Foundation Director Sarah Husser said the timing of distribution—when parents are actively preparing to transport their newborn home—is key.
“This approach brings safety education to the point of care, when families are most engaged and receptive,” she said.
The effort also reflects collaboration beyond the hospital. Police, EMS and fire personnel in the community are familiar with the identification system, helping ensure the information can be used effectively in real-world emergencies.
Funding from the Floyd Spirit Foundation allows Atrium Health Floyd to provide the kits to families at no cost. The foundation, a teammate-led philanthropic arm of Atrium Health Floyd, supports programs that address important health and safety needs across the communities Atrium Health Floyd serves.
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 get 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.”
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