CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Not being able to see a loved one in the hospital can be heartbreaking, but the EASE app can help people stay informed and encouraged.

Once you download the EASE (Electronic Access to Surgical Events) app to your phone, health care workers can send pictures, updates, and messages to family who can’t be with their loved ones inside the hospital.

Updates can be about surgery and procedures or the little moments that mean a lot to families.

Eight-month-old Charlie Greene had to spend nearly a month in the NICU at Atrium Health Carolinas Medial Center in Charlotte.

His parents, Caitlin and Nate Greene, stayed at the hospital during the day and used the app at night when they had to leave.

“I mean it just helps you have a peace of mind. That’s the best way to put it, a peace of mind that your baby is OK, and they’re in perfect hands, capable hands,” Caitlin Greene says.

The EASE app can be downloaded for free through the app store on your phone.