Lafayette General Updates Security With Surgical Precision
Louisiana-based Lafayette General Medical Center has relied on its integrator to keep its electronic security technology current, including a recent project with 100 cameras and 25 card readers.
Nearby LGH facilities protected by the SMS include Lafayette General Surgical Hospital, CyberKnife Center of Louisiana, four medical office buildings, three office buildings, two warehouse spaces, two parking garages and four surface lots. Two clinics located in a different part of the city are remotely monitored by the SMS.
The latest phase of construction, which is nearly complete, increases the emergency department’s bed capacity from 31 to 45 with two new trauma rooms. A new surgery platform boasts more than two dozen state-of-the-art operating rooms. Three new OB-GYN surgical suites are now part of the prenatal area, or pavilion for women and children. The project also included construction of a six-level parking garage.
In addition to the aforementioned access control, video and intrusion systems integrated via the SMS, infant protection, patient wandering, and duress and panic systems have also been incorporated. The medical center’s original security system dates back more than two decades when the customer first had G4S card access readers installed at three hospital entrances. Over the years, the base solution has been upgraded to complement expansion. Today, LGMC has the latest Symmetry iteration riding on the hospital’s network and securing the protected premises system-wide.
“We’ve been with this customer for some time,” Lackey says. “Hebert is extremely supportive of Stanley and hands-on with the upgrades. One of their most recent issues was cumbersome video storage solutions. We upgraded LGMC to Salient Systems, which has a combined VMS platform and storage, and that solved some surveillance challenges.”
Systems Monitor Wide Variety of Patients
The bulk of the system’s security notification associated with access control, surveillance, intrusion alarms, infant protection and some intercoms initiates through the SMS. Currently, intercoms are hardwired analog but Lackey says LGMC is investigating the possibility of deploying networked IP communication devices.
The SMS also interfaces with Stanley’s Healthcare Hugs Infant Protection solution. If an infant nears a secure door, an alarm within Symmetry will sound to notify security staff, area personnel and nurses of a possible security breach. The SMS will also integrate with the planned Stanley Healthcare Passport Patient Security solution to help protect psychiatric and wandering patients. Integrated with magnetic locks, once the system alarm is tripped the door controls automatically engage and lock.
Lackey says deep integration with the infant detection and patient wandering systems will allow security personnel to see all alarms on computer screens within the command center, proactively assess the situation, and determine whether or not to dispatch security or other responders.
“The still planned addition of the patient wandering system will integrate with Symmetry to monitor psychiatric patients at risk for elopement as well as card access for the new trauma department’s elevator,” says Hebert.
While magnetic stripe readers and cards are primarily used throughout the facility, several proximity readers have been placed at surgery doors. This was done at the request of physicians who desired hands-free devices to maintain sterilization.
A newly constructed surgical area also includes a lounge where doctors can wait for their surgery to begin. Because the lounge is not connected to the surgery room, doctors were unable to ascertain when the patient was ready. Cameras were installed in each of the surgery rooms, with a viewing monitor in the lounge. The monitor allows the doctor to see the surgery room and once surgery begins, staff can shut off the cameras.
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