OBSERVER Staff Report

Due to changes at Brooks Memorial Hospital, the OBSERVER is announcing a new policy regarding birth announcements.

Effective Jan. 1, Brooks-TLC Hospital System, Inc., Brooks campus, will end the practice of offering local newspapers the names of patients admitted and discharged from the hospitals and the names of parents and their newborns.

“Publication of these names at rural hospitals has been routine and even a tradition for many years. However, in recent years this practice has been curtailed by almost all hospitals,” said Sheila Walier, spokesperson for Brooks-TLC. “After thoroughly reviewing this practice, it has been decided that we will no longer provide this information to the newspapers.”

Walier explained that publishing the names of admitted and discharged patients and the names of parents and their newborns, even with permission, runs against the principles of providing privacy to all patients.

“In this day and age where security issues of every kind are in the news almost daily, we can no longer assume or take for granted that publishing the names of patients in the newspaper is safe practice,” she said. “With continued and growing emphasis to protect patient privacy under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) most rural hospitals have ceased the practice of publishing names.”

“Ultimately the practice of providing this information to the newspapers is seen as an unnecessary security risk and a privacy issue for the patients we are pledged to protect. Discontinuing this practice is the right thing to do,” Walier said.

Even though the hospital will no longer provide names, parents are still welcome to submit their announcements directly to the OBSERVER.

On Sundays in the Lifestyles section, the OBSERVER will continue to publish birth announcements, not only for babies born at Brooks Memorial Hospital, but out-of-town hospitals and home births. We will run the name of the child, parents, grandparents, and their respective municipality, if provided and desired.

All birth announcements need to be emailed to lifestyles@observertoday.com, sent via postal mail to P.O. Box 391, Dunkirk, NY 14048, or hand-delivered to our office at 10 E. Second St., Dunkirk. A phone number must be included for all emailed and postal announcements. There is no charge for this.

In addition, the OBSERVER will run color photos of births for a $20 charge. Simply email or send via postal mail a photo when submitting your announcement. A self-addressed stamped envelop is required if you want your photo returned. Individuals who stop in the office can have their photo scanned in.

“We recognize that many parents want to let the community know their good news when a child is born. The only change now is instead of going through the hospital to make your announcement, families need to contact us directly, ,” said Gregory Bacon, managing editor of the OBSERVER. “Just as we publish Students of the Month, honor rolls, graduations, engagements, weddings, and business promotions, we will continue to publish birth announcements.”