New year, new life? That's definitely a warm thought so it's understandable why a lot of people fuss about babies born at the start of the year. For 2015 though, there'd be less news of New Year babies as hospitals opt to skew tradition in favor of safety and privacy.
The decision to do so generally lies entirely in the hands of hospitals. One of the largest healthcare operators in the United States, Community Health Systems, ordered 207 of its facilities to cease publicizing the first baby for the New Year. The company cited potential identity theft and abductions as the reason for the order. Other hospitals in the country have either stopped adhering to the tradition as well or simply provided limited information to the media.
Tomi Galin, a spokesperson for Community Health Systems, said the company understands the birth of the first baby of the year is a joyous, exciting event but patient privacy and safety is Community Health's most important priority.
She also pointed to guidance released by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children suggesting that healthcare providers receive express consent from parents before relaying information about a New Year baby, as well as eliminating home addresses and other obvious information that can easily be used to identify the baby and the family from birth announcements.
Still, Robert Lowery, missing children division head from the center, said that the tradition is relatively low-risk. Hospitals have never been mandated to avoid making New Year baby announcements but caution must still be practiced at all times.
Galin reiterated that Community Health Systems decision to stop announcing New Year babies is a preventive measure, not a reaction to abduction attempts in the past and other threats. In fact, the decision came after some of the company's hospitals had already stopped making New Year births public.
Despite the order, the company's hospitals will still let parents know if their little bundle of joy is a New Year baby. Parents also have the prerogative to contact the media if they want to, but photographers and reporters must stay away from maternity wards.
Healthcare accreditation organization The Joint Commission started suggesting that hospitals stopped the practice of New Year birth announcements over 10 years ago after a slew of abductions but did not require that the tradition be completely eliminated.
More than four million babies are born in the U.S. every year.
