Page 60 - Security Today, January/February 2021

The Key to Keeping Healthcare
Facilities Safe and Secure
Providing a safe environment for patients, staff and visitors
Access Control
Quick access to medical care is essential, especially in emergency situations. Accordingly, our hospi- tals, healthcare facilities and their campuses are generally conveniently located, open 24/7 and accessible to the public. But these factors can also present increased security risks. Consider the fact that many health- care facilities and campuses are spread throughout a city—interwo- ven with commercial and retail businesses. What’s more, on any given day, a hospital can experience hundreds of visitors.
When you think about it, security systems in hospitals and health- care facilities are crucial to protecting people and property. Access con- trol is one of the keys to providing a safe environment for patients, staff and visitors. Hospitals are particularly complex in this regard since there is a main entrance along with many other alternative entry sites. There are often large campuses with multiple buildings (which may be interconnected), each with its own security requirements.
Within the main facility, there are also a number of areas that need to be well-secured. These include restricted units with immune com-
promised patients, surgical units, labs, animal research facilities, or quarantined areas. An access control system can ensure that only authorized personnel enter these zones.
By knowing who is entering your building and the time of entry, you can protect against unauthorized access and potential workplace violence as well as the theft of medication, PPE and sensitive patient records. This can be bolstered by integrating video, and audio with access controls via a common network.
However, it’s important to note that the solutions you install shouldn’t be just a short-term fix, unless if it’s for a temporary facility. You should adopt them with the intention of it being a long-term answer that can help in multiple situations, now and in the future.
Case in point: MLK Hospital in Los Angeles
Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital in Los Angeles is a great example of a facility that effectively uses cutting-edge access control. A 131-bed hospital in the Willowbrook community of South Los Angeles, it is the second-busiest emergency department in LA coun-
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16 campuslifesecurity.com | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021