This unique program at UC Davis Medical Center helps families stay connected when a child must be hospitalized. Using a ViaTV™ or Vizuphone (a special camera and phone combination unit), a television set, and a standard telephone line, the Family-Link program lets parents and siblings see and talk from home with loved ones who are in the hospital.

Family-Link has made a real difference for families that live far away from the medical center and have children hospitalized for an extended period of time. For example, a 12-year-old boy was hospitalized for eight months. Because of the highly infectious nature of his illness, he could not receive many visitors. However, he was able to "visit" with his family on a daily basis and was even able to share the holidays with his siblings thanks to the Family-Link system.

Family-Link can reduce a great deal of the stress and loneliness that is normally inherent in long hospital stays.  Another recent case involved a five-year-old girl who was recovering from a serious car accident.  The little girl missed her family members who lived 60 miles away and could not visit on a regular basis.  Family-Link was an ideal solution to bridge the distance between the families. 

A few other health care centers in the United States offer similar services, such as video access to their neonatal intensive care units and intra-hospital video conferencing, but the UC Davis Health System's Family-Link is unique in its ability to connect families at home to children and young adults who may be hospitalized.

The system is simple to set up, and a Family-Link team member is available to give assistance. For more information, please contact Janice Carpenter at janice.carpenter@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu or (916) 734-1314.