Hospitals are places for healing the sick and wounded, but unfortunately given their necessarily open nature they can be challenging environments to physically secure – potentially leading to additional medical emergencies.
More than 5,000 vascular or thoracic patients seen between 2012 and 2015 at Sentara hospitals in Virginia. That’s what Norfolk, Virginia-based Sentara Healthcare discovered in November of 2016 within one of its third-party vendors.
At Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, the pediatric teaching partner of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, being leaders in pediatric medicine, research, treatment, education and advocacy are the pillars of the facility’s mission statement.
Between illnesses, family tension and medical bills, hospitals are already harbors for stress, and nothing escalates a stressful situation into a dangerous one faster and more unnecessarily than poor customer service, says Jim Sawyer, Director of Security Services for Seattle Children’s Hospital.
A study by IAHSS on hospital crime shows that overall, the rate of violent crime dropped dramatically from 2.8 incidents per 100 hospital beds in 2014 to .09 incidents per 100 beds last year, or a 68-percent decrease.
Healthcare security and life safety is “a constant balancing act between securing the facility and offering an open and caring welcome.” That’s consultant Tom Clancy’s sage advice. And an echo of Ohio Health’s Harry Trombitas’ experienced guidance: His security operation “values an open and welcoming atmosphere that focuses on outstanding patient care.