“We were already moving large information packets such as MRIs and ultrasounds as part of our PACS system, which are much more of a bandwidth hog than security video,” he says.

Mohr claims that adding hot redundant servers at each site helps the department  maintain an uptime rate of nearly 100 percent.

According to Falgoust, PinnacleHealth’s IT team has always been very responsive to the needs of the security department.

“The IT department has never said it doesn’t want to be involved,” he says. “The people there have always said, ‘Let us know how we can help.’ That is a big advantage for us as a security team.”

ADT also maintains its own dedicated team of IP engineers that are available to PinnacleHealth at anytime they are required. Pinnacle has provided ADT with three tokens that allow its network engineers to remotely diagnose the system to solve any problems that might arise at any time or day. Also, ADT has provided personnel to be on the hospital campus as Pinnacle requires.

Falgoust says the Pinnacle and ADT IP teams closely worked together to get the system installed and have continued to do so to keep it operating at peak performance.  

Video Verifies Incidents, Rules Out False Claims
The video has been useful in other ways, such as monitoring patient-related incidents, including slips and falls. There have been cases of claimed injuries that were not supported by the recorded video. In those cases, the claims were either withdrawn or rejected.

[IMAGE]1637[/IMAGE]

In another example, the hospital had problems with a visitor going into the chapel and defacing materials. The problem continued for several days before the security staff was able to use the video system to get a high-resolution image of the person entering the chapel just prior to the vandalism. That led to the person’s identification and the problem was stopped.

PinnacleHealth’s video is recorded continuously. Generally, it is kept for a week before being transferred to their digital video manager. However, video from the emergency department and the pharmacy is kept for 30 days, as requested by clinical supervisors of those departments.

Read about how PinnacleHealth protects its parking lots.

Card Access Control Solution is Also IP-Based
The security system also includes more than 600 card readers and a host of other solutions designed to meet the special needs of a large and growing healthcare organization.

Like the video system, the hospital’s Honeywell ProWatch access control system is IP-based. Members of Falgoust’s staff process all access control cards for employees and vendors. They can place supervisor-requested restrictions by area, day and time. The security staf
f member processes about 20 new cards per day and works closely with the human resources department to immediately deactivate access privileges upon an employee’s suspension or termination.

PinnacleHealth officials are always open to innovative uses of their wireless access capabilities. For example, government regulations require the hospital keep track of access and the contents of its 35 mobile anesthesia carts. ADT’s Joel Freeman designed and installed a custom wireless access control application that utilizes card readers on each cart. The carts require the swipe of a valid card by an authorized user to release the drawers. The reader also records who has accessed each cart and when.

The access system helps monitor medication dispensing cabinets. Non-narcotic dispensing cabinets throughout the hospital are protected by an integrated management system from Pyxis. The medication administration system requires both an authorized access card and a personal identification number to gain entry. This provides information about who accessed the cabinets and when. Information and reporting from all cabinets is available via a single user interface.

Hospital is Ahead of the Security Curve
ADT’s Meenan admires Falgoust and his staff for having the foresight to assemble such a highly sophisticated, leading edge electronic security system. Despite this, touches such as the escort service still provide a personal feel to the security effort – a major requirement with healthcare institutions. And important policies and procedures are never overlooked.

“As an example, the security team makes sure employees are prepared to handle an emergency situation by conducting at least two live drills a year to practice different scenarios, such as a workplace violence event or a natural disaster,” Falgoust says.

Falgoust adds that maintaining security in the four facilities he oversees is a constant process involving assessments to make sure everything is working as intended. It also involves working with a partner that can provide input on the latest technology.

“Fortunately,” he says, “we have a security vendor that has the depth and breadth to meet our needs.”

---

How Infant Abductions are Prevented

Pinnacle Harrisburg has a busy labor and delivery department, ranking third in live births each year in Pennsylvania. As part of the infant protection protocol, each newborn is fitted with an umbilical tag shortly after birth. If the tag moves past readers in the nine public or two service elevators or stairwells, an alarm will sound and all exit doors are immediately closed and locked. The elevators are also shut down from the ninth floor department. Monitors at the nurses’ station provide a view from cameras mounted at the stairwell entries and all elevator bays.

---

Campus at a Glance

PinnacleHealth is a non-profit medical facility located in Harrisburg, Pa., and has a 130-year tradition of offering prenatal to geriatric medical services. In addition to being the area’s major acute care facility with 607 beds, the organization also operates community general and rehabilitation hospitals, an outpatient facility, family, specialty medicine and physical therapy facilities and laboratories – all located within a 20-mile radius.

On average, Pinnacle’s Harrisburg hospital emergency department currently sees 75,000 patients a year. When an expansion opens in early 2011, the annual capacity will grow to more than 100,000 patients. The facility was recently included in US News and World Report’s 18th annual America’s Best Hospitals guide.

The organization’s security department has 56 proprietary officers and 14 contract guards.

Related Articles:

• How Pinnacle Protects its Parking Lots
• How Pinnacle Protects Its Emergency Department
• Infant Security Basics
• The Top 7 Video Surveillance Trends to Watch in 2011
• Your Physical Access Control Cheat Sheet

If you appreciated this article and want to receive more valuable industry content like this, click here to sign up for our FREE digital newsletters!

Related Content