The Benefits of Integrating Hospital Security and Safety Technologies

A trusted security integrator can help your healthcare campus make the most of its video, access control, intrusion, fire, emergency notification, HVAC, lighting, elevator, smoke detection and panic alarm systems.

For decades now, hospitals have been investing in various security and public safety/life safety solutions. There are obvious benefits to each type of technology.

Video surveillance provides valuable evidence police can use during criminal investigations. Access control, locks and visitor management enable healthcare organizations to control who enters each area of their facilities. Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems enable facility managers to control the climate of a building. Mass notification enables campuses to alert their communities about emergencies. Intrusion detection minimizes thefts, while infant abduction prevention systems keep newborn babies safe and secure. These are just some of the technologies installed by healthcare facilities.

The challenge associated with all of these systems, however, is that they often are installed at different times, by different people, so the systems don’t communicate with each other. Even systems that involve the same family of technology such as video surveillance might not integrate. This lack of interoperability can leave the hospital security operations center (SOC) with a lot of data from many different sources with no cohesive way of viewing it and making sense of it all.

Fortunately, healthcare campuses that partner with a trusted security integrator can overcome this challenge so that their video, access control, intrusion, fire, emergency notification, HVAC, lighting, elevator, smoke detection and panic alarm systems can all work together. Even technologies that issue alarms for things like over-flowing toilets, power outages and broken pipes can be integrated.

The data from all of these alarms and systems can be converted into detailed alerts that are sent to the SOC and then delivered to security officers or other hospital personnel for response.

Managing integrated systems from a centralized SOC can also result in efficiencies and cost savings. For example, take a hospital that integrates its access control and intrusion systems with its security cameras. When a propped-door alarm sounds in the SOC, an officer can remotely view and assess the situation via the security camera that’s closest to the alarm. If there is no crisis, a custodian or some other staff member near the area can be dispatched to close the door so the campus doesn’t incur the cost of dispatching first responders. Of course, if there is an emergency, law enforcement officers or other first responders can be called.

The key to a properly integrated healthcare campus is planning. By talking with a trusted security integrator, hospitals can develop a cohesive plan that eliminates duplication and increases efficiencies.  They can outline a standard for the campus today and a plan for future growth and development.

STANLEY Security partners with hospitals to develop customized security programs for their facilities. STANLEY’s team of security professionals can help your campus develop functional standards across the healthcare organization to create a cohesive security program that takes full advantage of all of the benefits that technology integration has to offer.

STANLEY Security frequently provides the following solutions to its healthcare clients:

  • Software Support, Consultation and Integration
  • Access Control Systems
  • Video Surveillance Cameras and Video Monitoring
  • STANLEY® Guard Personal Safety and Security Response
  • Standards Development and Strategic Planning
  • Panic Buttons for Classrooms, Nurse Stations and Staff
  • Mass Notification and Emergency Communication
  • Behavioral Health Solutions
  • Intrusion Alarm Systems
  • Lock Down Solutions
  • Custom Systems Integration
  • Fire Alarm Systems, and Regular Tests and Inspections
  • 24 Hour UL and ULC Monitoring Services
  • System Consultation, Design and Installation
  • Preventative Maintenance and Service Plans

For more information on the solutions you can implement at your hospital or for educational resources on improving your security program, visit STANLEY Security at stanleycss.com.

Stanley

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