Photograph by Robert Scheer
It's a boy! Video email gets the good news out fast at El Camino Hospital.
By LESTER CHANG
For Ty and Kari Rush, the biggest moment of their lives came on Jan. 7, when their son was born at El Camino Hospital.
But family and friends didn't have to wait days to hear the good news by way of traditional birth announcements. Instead, they were just a mouse-click away from meeting Ty Jr. in a video clip sent over the Internet.
Through video email, the hospital has offered an innovative way for parents to send birth announcements to friends and family around the world.
The cutting-edge technology, made possible by teaming with high-tech partner Array Microsystems, based in Los Gatos, uses high-performance video compression and email software to send video clips of parents and their newborn children over the Internet.
In all, about 20 people have used the service at El Camino so far, said Leah Blum, communications manager at the hospital.
The Rushes smiled proudly as they cradled their son in front of the videotaping and computer system near the maternity ward. The new father told loved ones that Ty Jr. was healthy, measured 20 1/2 inches and weighed 8 pounds, 12 ounces.
Rush, a 34-year-old contractor, said it meant a lot to him to be able to send the video email to his dad, who lives in Memphis, Tenn.
"He has been following [the pregnancy]," Rush said. "I am sure his thoughts are on what the child looks like. Now he will know."
The video runs about 20 seconds, said Dan Deeth, a customer service representative from Array, who recorded the birth announcement for the Rushes.
As a way to test and market their product, Array began offering the service in November at no charge to patients. The service will end in January. At that point, the hospital will decide whether or not to continue it, Blum said.
A marketing manager at Array, Jim Bohac, whose wife is eight months pregnant, came up with the idea when the couple participated in the maternity orientation class at the hospital.
Parents register for the video email service by filling out a form, provided in hospital orientation packets, mailings, local doctors' offices and at the admission desk of the hospital.
The form is used to provide information and to identify the addresses to which the video email will be sent.
At an email station at the hospital, a log book is kept with information on the parents, who later enter a video email station and talk to friends as a technician records and processes the video clips to be sent.
Patients can receive a copy of the video clip on disk or a video cassette.
Marilyn Bellah, Kari's mother, spoke glowingly about the technology. When her daughter was born 26 years ago, she and her husband had only two ways of announcing her birth. They sent out notices by mail and placed a notice in the local newspaper.
"Naturally, she [Kari] loves her child as much as I loved her when she was born," Bellah said. "But as far as bringing the news [of a newborn], this thing is something else. It is a lot nicer to see it right away. It is wonderful."
This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, January 15, 1997.
©1997 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.