Page 38 - Security Today, June 2017

Filling the Gap Communications issue resolved at Shawnee Mission Medical Center
BWy Greg Smith
hen seconds count in an emergency, such as an active shooter or severe weather, gaps in com- munication can cost lives. Many schools, busi- nesses and healthcare facilities face the chal- lenge of ensuring comprehensive coverage with
Prior to implementing Alertus, Shawnee Mission did employ a desktop notification system but it was a challenge to update and man- age. A major issue arose when the computers were switched out or their software was updated. The desktop system did not provide con- tinuity for which PCs did or did not have the panic software. The pri- mary identification was the placement of stickers on the keyboards. However, this was troublesome because when the PCs were swapped, the keyboards remained the same but no longer had the panic soft- ware. Employees thought they could still press the keyboard buttons to activate the panic function which was not always the case. “Em- ployees were pushing buttons for no reason,” Anderson said. “We were creating a false sense of security that needed to be eliminated.”
The arrival of the desktop notification solved many of these is- sues from the prior system. The toolbar shows the desktop notifica- tion is online, and ready to receive notifications. This is also observed from the Alertus Unified Facility Notification Menus.
Targeting the “Lull” Areas
While the desktop notification helped provide comprehensive cov- erage throughout the staffed areas-in-the-hospital, there were still “lull” notification-areas such as lobbies, hallways and entry/exit ar- eas. These areas lacked a constant staffed associate who could convey actions or the message from the communication platform such as the desktop notification and this needed to be addressed.
“We had to look at different ways to touch these lull locations,” Anderson said. “People could not get an alert if a staff member was not present to advise them of the issue or threat.”
To that end, the hospital deployed alert beacons to better notify these building areas of an emergency. To further provide coverage, an emergency notification can be pushed through the hallway TV
their existing emergency mass communication systems. Such was the case at Shawnee Mission Medical Center, part of the Adventist Health System (AHS), located in Merriam, Kansas.
“There were gaps in our communication for routine and emer- gency alerts, many areas in the facility did not receive the primary alert from the Overhead Paging when it was announced (or it was inaudible),” said Daniel Anderson, Shawnee Mission Health’s emer- gency management program manager. “When we looked to identify areas—which had communication deficient areas—we also identified modes of communication to fill the gaps from the Overhead Paging system for our mass communication system plan.”
Deploying Desktop Notification
Identifying this gap in communication led the facility to deploy a desktop notification solution from Alertus, which has become a lead for emergency communication. For a healthcare facility where the majority of staff members work near a computer, it is an effective communication tool. The facility also identified a regular use for the system were they routinely push out medical alerts and other associ- ated internal emergent notifications. “When you have a system solely for emergency communication, you often only use the system twice a year when you test it. My belief in emergency communication is when you can find a routine use for the system you will not forget how to use the system and will produce a more efficient communication from a tested system,” Anderson said.
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HOSPITAL SECURITY
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