Page 38 - Security Today, March 2021

Meeting the
Current Crisis
How hospitals are preparing for a post-COVID future
BEy Ty Miller
Equipment (PPE) shortages, and a limited number of ICU beds are just some of the challenges facing our healthcare systems.
Healthcare administrators must meet today’s urgent needs while remaining cognizant of the fact that their budgets are lim- ited. As a result, rather than waiting for entirely new technologies to appear on the market, many facilities are looking at existing solutions and implementing them in new ways.
HOW PHYSICAL SECURITY SYSTEMS CAN HELP
One sector that can offer healthcare facilities a wide variety of innovative solutions is physical security. When facing a global pandemic that requires maintaining physical distance and keep- ing a close eye on potential outbreaks, a physical security system that includes video management, access control and communica- tions management can be an essential tool.
Hospitals have already started putting these solutions in place, and the results have been immediate. Improved workplace safety, better patient care and increased staff morale. Hospital admin-
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MARCH 2021 | SECURITY TODAY
ven as we appreciate and applaud our healthcare professionals, most of us can do little more than watch as systems everywhere face the tremendous pressure caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Over- crowding in emergency rooms, Personal Protective
istrators are also recognizing that many of these same solutions have long-term applications as well. This means that upfront in- vestments will not be lost once we reach the other side of this crisis.
VIRTUAL INTERACTIONS WITH PATIENTS
In March and April of 2020, New York City was facing the greatest number of COVID cases in the United States. Hospitals were struggling, and the situation seemed especially bleak. Staff felt vulnerable to the virus, frontline workers were quitting, and the hospital was going through PPE at an alarming rate. This was because, in order to prevent spreading the virus from patient to patient every time the medical staff went into someone’s room, they had to put on new PPE. Doing simple temperature checks on a floor could require several changes.
Hospital administration knew they wanted to reduce the in- person interactions between patients and staff. This would both cut down on PPE usage and limit possible transmission of the virus. Virtual interaction would allow staff to continue to pro- vide the necessary care while mitigating some of the challenges around cost and contamination. But they didn’t have time to wait for a new system to be developed or deployed.
The answer was to use an existing security communications
HOSPITAL SECURITY
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