NICU AngelEye Camera System: A Picture is Worth More Than a Thousand Words

ale and Debra Jenkins began dating when he was a senior and she was a sophomore at East Rutherford High School in Bostic, D North Carolina. “I thought she was cute,” Dale Jenkins recalled. “She was a cheerleader, energetic, had a big smile on her face and a very bubbly, outgoing personality. I thought she’d be a good person to know.” They married in 1979, moved to Raleigh shortly thereafter and were together for just under 41 years until Debra passed away at UNC Rex Healthcare in 2020 from Multiple Systems Atrophy, a rare neurodegenerative disorder. After his wife passed away, Jenkins and his three adult children asked those who wanted to honor her memory to make donations to the Rex Healthcare Foundation. “At Rex, Debra received personalized care with a sense of compassion,” said Jenkins, a former chair of the Rex Board of Trustees. “We picked Rex because it’s been such a big part of our family.”

The money that was donated to the Foundation in Debra Jenkins’ memory will purchase an AngelEye camera system for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, or NICU. When Foundation Vice President Sylvia Hackett and Director of Philanthropy Kay Taylor told Jenkins how the money would be spent, he and his children were all for it.

Michelle Clements, clinical manager of the NICU and newborn nursery, heralded the AngelEye camera system as significant.

“The AngelEye system provides a 24-7 view of the baby,” Clements said. “A parent could be at home, at work and still view his or her child. The most important thing for parents is being able to be with their baby 24-7, but that’s not always possible with the demands of home and life.

“The AngelEye system is a tool that allows them to have … that connection to their baby,” Clements continued. “It helps the parents with emotional coping of their stressful NICU experience. In addition, the AngelEye system offers educational resources that parents can access remotely to help them understand the NICU journey.”

With the AngelEye camera system, parents see their babies on screens that provide useful information, including condition updates and educational instructions to help them prepare for their baby’s discharge, Clements said.

If doctors or nurses need to provide care for the baby that might make parents uneasy, a message saying “We’ll Be Right Back” appears on the screen. Parents are told that up front so if it happens, they don’t become unnecessarily alarmed.

The AngelEye camera system is secure, and no one other than parents and those to whom they grant access can view their child.

“The AngelEye camera system is a significant investment in the support of our patients and families in the NICU, and we’re incredibly grateful to the donors that understand the importance of this in helping parents get through one the most difficult times of their lives,” Clements said.

“The other thing is that as moms are working on establishing their milk supply for breastfeeding, just the view of the baby helps the mom pump more milk,” Clements continued. “That’s one of the powerful benefits. We’re so excited to see the impact the AngelEye camera system will have on our families and believe this will make a profound difference.”

Laura and Ward Nye were among those who made donations. “Debra had amazing ‘wiring’ and naturally found great joy in doing good and in relating to every person,” Nye said of her close friend. “Perhaps you could say that was her philosophy, but it was much more than that. It was a gift, and it was contagious, making her positively impactful in so many ways. Debra thought children were the most precious of God’s creatures and would be happy about the AngelEye camera system.”

Jenkins said more than100 people have made donations in his wife’s honor.

“I wrote a lot of thank you notes,” he said. “The outpouring of support we received was just overwhelming, quite frankly. Debra was a people person, had tons of friends and had a way of making you feel so special when you were around her.”

Jenkins and his children will attend the ceremony when the AngelEye camera system is unveiled.

“Rex is a wonderful place and they do great work and great things for our community,” he said. “I’m grateful for the gifts that were made in Debra’s honor, and I’m thankful for the families who will benefit from it.

“It’s just heart warming to know that people really care enough to be there when you need them and to provide the services you need,” Jenkins continued. “It’s just fantastic the services they were able to provide to make her comfortable. They provide exceptional care. We’re fortunate to have Rex in our community.”

AngelEye Technology in NICU