Page 85 - Security Today, September/October 2024

COVER STORY
T he healthcare industry is experiencing an alarming escalation of violence, including an increase in threats against healthcare work- ers. As a result, it is looking for ways to be proactive and protect its staff and patients.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the rate of injuries from violent attacks against medical pro- fessionals grew by 63% from 2011 to 2018 and hospital safety directors say that aggression against staff esca- lated as the COVID-19 pandemic intensified in 2020.
A nationwide survey conducted by National Nurses United (NNU), the nation’s largest union and professional association of registered nurses, found that the majority of nurses have experienced workplace violence and nearly half have seen a rise in rates in the past year. A recent NNU report from 2023 gathered data from nearly 1,000 nurses working in 48 states and the District of Columbia revealed that 6 in 10 RNs report having changed or left their profession or considered leaving their job due to workplace violence.
Prevention is key in fighting the war against violence. To combat these trends, hospitals are looking for proactive ways to protect hospital staff, patients and visitors. New security technologies—including video cameras, access control and smart sensors— can help hospital administrators and security teams keep people safe.
STONY BROOK UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL IMPLEMENTS SMART SENSORS FOR SAFETY
Located on Long Island, N.Y, Stony Brook University Hospital (SBUH) is one of the top hospitals in the nation and ranked as one of the best in the U.S. by Money Magazine. The hospital has four major locations spanning all of Suffolk County, 8,700 staff members, 624 beds, and sees an average of 1,000 emergency room visitors daily. It has more than 1,400 physicians
in nearly 150 specialties, a 350-bed skilled nursing facility for veterans and 216 community-based am- bulatory healthcare locations.
With a myriad of people coming in and out of its emergency room entrance, SBUH’s Public Safety team wanted a way to help keep staff, patients and visitors safe with the ability to automatically detect aggressive behavior and violent situations, including gunshots. They also wanted to monitor the ambulance triage area so they could be alerted of any security issues immediately.
They selected the HALO IoT Smart Sensor from IPVideo, a Motorola Solutions Company, to meet these security needs. IPVideo’s security partner A+ Technology & Security Solutions, an expert in technology convergence, school safety/security and safe city initiatives, introduced SBUH’s security team to the HALO IoT Smart Sensor.
“After working with SBUH over the last 10 years, I was so excited to show them the HALO IoT Smart Sensor when it was released,” said Jeffrey Sweeney, general manager at A+ Technology & Security. “I knew it had the potential to improve their facilities in so many ways and help bridge security gaps of not receiving immediate alerts when aggressive behavior was happening at the hospital.”
SBUH’s Public Safety team experienced the versatility of HALO and how it provides multi-functional safety, health and vape detection. The device delivers comprehensive safety and security awareness with an array of sensors that detect aggression, gunshots, motion, occupancy, and keyword alerts. It’s ideal for monitoring a hospital’s many privacy areas since it does not use a camera, it does not record audio, nor does it capture any personally identifiable information. In early 2022, SBUH installed two HALO IoT Smart Sensors in their emergency room—one in the emergency
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