Page 44 - Security Today, April 2021

A Changing Profile COVID-19 has heightened day-to-day risks
By Andy Bedlack
Healthcare facilities were already a complex secu- rity environment due to the number of moving pieces and literal life or death situations faced daily. However, while every industry has encoun- tered unique challenges due to the pandemic, this is perhaps truest in healthcare, where day-to-day risks have only been heightened by the onset of COVID-19 and now the vaccine rollout.
VIOLENCE AND HARASSMENT
For example, this past summer the International Committee of the Red Cross issued a statement regarding increased incidents of violence and harassment taking place against health-care work- ers, patients and medical infrastructure. This comes on the back of a 2019 study reporting 75% of nearly 25,000 workplace as- saults occurred in healthcare settings.
Given these challenges, it’s no surprise that recruiting and training security officers for a role in a healthcare setting neces- sitates considerable complexity. While guarding in any environ- ment takes a certain skill set and training, guarding in a health- care environment is highly complicated and layered. Hospitals
are emotionally charged environments, creating a landscape that must be navigated effectively by well trained and highly capable security professionals.
The role of a healthcare security officer is also significantly more interactive than in other settings, as they directly engage with patients, families, visitors and staff. Hospital security offi- cers are not only the first impression patients or visitors have of the organization when they enter the facility, but they are also the first to assist the clinical staff in protecting patients from harm- ing themselves, visitors or staff. It is also a security officer’s re- sponsibility to understand and comply with all regulations and to enforce hospital policy and procedure.
As hospitals reach maximum capacity due to the number of COVID-19 patients, risk factors are increased. As a result, hos- pital security needs to be managed with less intrusive and more specialized measures that minimize stress to patients, visitors and healthcare workers. Security companies must possess a stra- tegic and deep understanding of the healthcare environment to ensure they are hiring the right people and providing the neces- sary training for success, especially at a time when many health- care institutions are facing pandemic-related financial stress.
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APRIL 2021 | SECURITY TODAY
HEALTHCARE SECURITY
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