Page 21 - Campus Security & Life Safety, March/April 2022

we had to mitigate every single threat along with all of the many new and complex scenarios surrounding the pandemic to layer on top of existing risks,” said Hadji Sarr, Director of Public Safety, Houston Methodist.
The current wave of the highly infectious omicron variant has taxed employees like never before, both security and clinical staff. That means the clinical staff needs to lean all the more heavily on security to keep the peace in sensitive areas of the hospital.
Ramifications
Even as the risks and challenges mount, licensing and regulatory requirements are as stringent as ever. Hospitals accredited by the Joint Commission or the DNV, or that serve patients on Medicare and Medicaid, are subject to regular surveys and audits of clinical staff or patients, as well as compliance with stated policies around a host of issues—including security. There is much documentation to be main- tained, and if any shortcoming is documented, individuals and the institution itself suffer fines, penalties and potential ramifications from accrediting organizations. Should the facility fall short of accreditation standards, the consequences are severe and have ripple effects in terms of ability to continue profitably serving patients and employees.
Tech Tools Extend Security Teams
Security has an important part to play in ensuring things run smoothly so that medical staff can prioritize patient care and keep accreditation compliance on track. Security is there to mitigate risks, diffuse tensions and prevent intrusion, injury and loss. In times like these, there is no room for a security failure or unattended post.
Technology has been a boon to hospital security, freeing up staff to focus on more strategic needs. Methodist, for one, is leveraging robots to patrol certain areas and cameras for physical security. Access controls make it easy to keep bad actors at bay and know exactly who has entered which area of a facility and make it possible to intervene in instances of unauthorized access. Access gates, badge readers and intercoms go a long way toward deterring, detecting and delaying issues and incidents. The technologies behind access con- trols are becoming more sophisticated with dual-factor authentica- tion and biometric readers, representing a tremendous opportunity for mitigating an unauthorized healthcare facility breach.
Technology is also helping hospitals like Methodist train security teams and staff. Virtual and augmented reality tools make it possible for trainees to have an immersive experience and train in real-time for the kinds of scenarios that no hospital security leader wants to face in real life – active shooters, for one. Trainees face and respond to a host of very realistic scenarios and environments that can serve as training enhancement for active shooter response. This kind of training can’t be staged, and tools available today are a tremendous advantage.
Artificial intelligence is shaping up to be a game-changer as well, delivering infinite efficiency benefits in terms of monitoring crowds, identifying threats and identifying specific people of concern. AI
“Security has an important part to play in ensuring things run smoothly so that medical staff can prioritize patient care and keep accreditation compliance on track. Security is there to mitigate risks, diffuse tensions and prevent intrusion, injury and loss. In times like these, there is no room for a security failure or unattended post.”
By Tracy Fuller
MARCH/APRIL 2022 | campuslifesecurity.com 21