Page 86 - Security Today, September/October 2024

COVER STORY
A PREMIER ACADEMIC MEDICAL CENTER
SBUH serves as the region’s only Tertiary Care Center and Regional Trauma Center, and is home to the Stony Brook Heart Institute, Stony Brook Cancer Center, Stony Brook Children’s Hospital and Stony Brook Neurosciences Institute. SBUH also en- compasses Suffolk County’s only Level 4 Regional Perinatal Center, state-des- ignated AIDS Center, state-designated Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program, state-designated Burn Center, the Christopher Pendergast ALS Center of Excellence, and Kidney Transplant Center. It’s also home of the nation’s first Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Center.
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room entrance and one at the ambulance triage area.
“We are the first hospital in the country to deploy HALO in an emergency room,” said David Scarzella, Chief of Police and Assistant VP of Healthcare Safety for Stony Brook Medicine. “My advice for other hospitals looking to improve safety is to make sure all your security systems are integrated together on one centralized platform and be 100% in.”
HALO’s gunshot detection is more than a noise sensor. If a weapon is fired, it can pinpoint the location of the event and automatically alert the hospital’s security team who can take immediate action to help mitigate risks. First responders can also be notified of the exact location to help coordinate an emergency response.
HALO SMART SENSOR COMES TO THE RESCUE
When testing HALO’s gunshot detection capabilities, the smart sensor also iden- tified unhealthy air quality in the office space used by the Access Control depart- ment. After the results were verified for accuracy, the department relocated to a different workspace and the air quality issues were addressed.
“With the successful deployment of HALO in SBUH’s emergency room, three additional HALO IoT Smart Sensors were added in the emergency room at our eastern location, Stony Brook Southampton Hospital, in 2024,” said Lawrence M. Zacarese, VP for Enterprise Risk Management and Chief Security Officer for Stony Brook University and Medicine. “Integration is the name of the game when it comes to physical security. It’s all about integration.”
SBUH takes security seriously and has a security post set up at the hospital. All HALO alerts are sent directly to the public safety team in real-time via text and email. SBUH’s security team pays close attention to security notifications and addresses them immediately.
“The HALO Smart Sensor is a truly
cost-effective solution that is easily implemented and helps us do our jobs more efficiently,” said Scarzella.
In addition to hospitals, HALO is helping the world around us become safer and healthier. Schools throughout the nation are using HALO to detect vaping in areas such as bathrooms and locker rooms and also using it to detect gunshots. The versatility of HALO has made it an important tool for security while maintaining individual privacy. Security teams can implement these smart sensors throughout their facilities and receive alerts 24/7 to help prevent incidents.
A FUTURE PRESCRIPTION FOR HEALTH AND SAFETY AT SBUH
The future looks brighter for healthcare workers as hospitals like SBUH lead the way with innovative technology solutions. Future plans at the hospital include using the HALO emergency keyword detection to send alerts to the security team who use Motorola Solutions’ radios to respond quickly to incidents or emergencies. In an emergency, an individual could say the word “help,” and the security team would be immediately notified. The hospital also plans on renovating their main lobby and exploring other HALO functions including air quality monitoring, people counting and the HALO LED ring for emergency lighting.
Today, hospitals have a variety of resources available to help safeguard their facilities, and SBUH is demonstrating how sensor technology can be an important part of safety protocols. It’s imperative to identify security risks early with the right technology in place and train staff on violence prevention.
Together, HALO
and SBUH
are helping to
improve safety
and security
outcomes for
patients and
staff alike.