Pocono News Section

Hospital Visits Going Hi-Tech With iVisit

Hospital Visits Going Hi-Tech With iVisit - Monday, December 7, 2009 at 5:38PM EST

Reported by: Jeremy Deebel
Monday, Dec 7, 2009 @ 05:38pm EST
Lewisburg, Union County-

Hospital visits are going hi-tech in Union County with iVisit. It’s a new program connecting moms and newborns with distant family members.

Officials believe it will also help prevent the transmission of disease.

Five-year-old twins Emma and Ava Bugenhagen were thrilled to learn they were about to become big sisters.

But visitation restrictions over swine flu concerns meant they couldn’t go in to see mom when the new set of twins, Lillian and Wyatt, were born.

That’s where Evangelical Community Hospital’s new iVisit program comes in.

R. N. Jennifer Leister explained, “It’s a one-way showing where we have a camera in the room and it shows video. And with a password, family and friends can log on and see mom and the baby.”

Or, babies, in this case. With a speakerphone by the computer screen, Ava and Emma got to experience the next best thing to being there.

Their favorite part? “Seeing mom, and the babies!”

Dad Paul Bugenhagen was equally impressed by the hi-tech idea, which was brainstormed by a hospital employee.

He noted, “We’ve done a lot of stuff with storytelling, taking pictures and bringing all that stuff home. And then this feature with the computer is just a super cherry on top.”

The system can also be used to connect new moms and babies with distant friends or relatives who can’t make a trip to the hospital.

And they don’t need much more than a high-speed internet connection.

Leister added, “The specifications that you need are actually on our website. If you click on iVisit, it’ll let you know what you need at home.”

Hospital officials say the iVisit program could be expanded for use by other patients in the future.

For more information, head to .