The Impact of Coronavirus

The Impact of Coronavirus

Hospitals have struggled to meet growing demands placed on healthcare facilities

As coronavirus cases have increased throughout the nation and across the world, healthcare professionals, emergency rooms and intensive care units have all been pushed to the limit in their ability to properly treat patients with the scarcity of resources and fear of the unknown. In the course of the pandemic over the past year, hospitals struggled to meet the new and growing demands placed on facilities for more and better trained security staff.

IMPROVING SECURITY MEASURES

The pandemic compelled hospitals to increase safety and security measures. The role of the security professional has been redefined and prioritized to support more patient care related activities. New safety and security protocols have been established at hospitals in order to accurately adhere to CDC guidelines to keep staff and patients safer.

Patient visitation has been eliminated with few exceptions throughout the country. Facemasks or shields and other personal protection equipment (PPE) are required to enter the facility. Once inside the building, physical distancing of six feet or more between each person is enforced. Additionally, hospitals have established screening processes at entry points, which includes questions regarding symptoms as well as fever detection devices.

The security leader is an important member of the Hospital Incident Command (HICS) team. Security leaders are often tasked with the planning of emergency staffing during the development of an organization’s “All Hazards Emergency Operations Plan” that meet the scope and scale of security needs amid a disaster.

Security leaders are encouraged to go through industry-speci fic training, education and self-development. For security leaders serving as hospital security professionals, this means staying up-to-date on healthcare security publications, participating as an active member in the International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety (IAHSS), ASIS International, attending formal healthcare security seminars or educational programs, participating in industry research, and so on.

UPDATING GUIDELINES

At the beginning of the pandemic, the IAHSS Guidelines Council realized that the existing “Communicable Disease Guideline” was insufficient to meet the needs of the current situation. Thus, security professional met and worked to edit the guideline immediately. Within weeks, the updated “Highly Infectious Communicable Disease Response” document was released by the council to guide hospitals in developing a response to the global pandemic. The updated guideline outlines additional, essential security services with mitigation strategies to address the planned changes in protocol.

Large hospital systems determined the need to expand the scope of the security professionals to include increased visitor and employee screening, PPE, pharmaceutical and medical equipment storage. These security professionals were expected to continue to respond quickly, de-escalate aggressive behavior and maintain a safe environment with COVID-19 positive patients or patients under investigation.

They also required additional security professionals in new locations. In order to meet the increased safety protocols as well as the regulatory requirements, it was imperative that each of the new security professionals be provided with “Just in Time” training and PPE for the healthcare environment during this crisis situation.

It is imperative for all healthcare security professionals to understand and treat these modifications to safety protocols and hospital operations as long-term changes because these alterations, in the end, provide safer and more efficient patient care.

PREPARING A PLAN

Hospitals have recently been challenged with the task of preparing a plan for configuring storage, tracking, securing and administering the coronavirus vaccine. As coronavirus cases have dramatically increased in the United States, businesses, companies and organizations have been forced to address the need for a dependable, effective plan for continuing operations amidst a pandemic. In order for businesses to return to normal operations, hospitals need to be prepared with a clear vaccine distribution plan that can account for possible risks that would delay vaccination in any stages.

To support the need for transitions to new vaccine procedures and protocols, a group of approximately 20 security leaders were led from various hospitals and health systems in the United States, as well as members of the ASIS International Healthcare Security Council and Community in developing two documents to assist with the security of vaccine storage and distribution.

A document was created to address considerations in the securing and distribution of the coronavirus vaccine, “Considerations in the Securing and Distribution of the Coronavirus Vaccine.” Hospitals recognize the role they play as the vaccine is distributed to facilities throughout the country. A storage plan is provided along with storage requirements specific to the vaccines currently approved by the FDA as well as a call for hospitals to update security plans to include steps in keeping the vaccine safe.

As a group, potential risks were taken into account, and considerations were implemented to think about every step of receiving, storing, tracking and distributing the vaccine before it even reaches the facility. Following these guidelines, hospitals will be better prepared in securing the entire vaccination process.

Security has proven to be more essential than ever in the healthcare world as the chaotic, uncertain nature of the coronavirus has created new threats for patients and healthcare workers within the walls of a hospital.

HEALTHCARE SECURITY LESSONS

The pandemic has taught us several lessons when it comes to hospital safety and security. For example, it is critical for hospitals to develop mutual aid relationships, consider contracts for emergency security staffing during disasters, and establish appropriate/ regulatory “Just-in-Time” training modules for various disaster scenarios.

Additionally, hospitals should preplan and develop contracts for PPE and other equipment that security may need during a disaster. The security leader provides an excellent partner to the hospital emergency manager in developing a robust “All Hazards Emergency Operations Plan.” It is also crucial to take care of the physical and mental health of the team. A strong team creates a dependable foundation for an environment that is prepared for the evolving challenges this pandemic continues to create.

At the start of 2021, and round out a year of responding to the challenges of the coronavirus, security professionals continue to demonstrate the value of comprehensive security services in hospitals. Hospital staff recognize that health systems are being tasked with controlling costs and cutting budgets while maintaining the highest levels of patient care, safety and privacy.

These facts heighten the awareness of the new role played by security services in this ever-evolving healthcare landscape. With proper guidelines, preparation is necessary for success in the process of distributing a vaccine across the country while adhering to the highest level of safety considerations.

This article originally appeared in the April 2021 issue of Security Today.

Featured

  • Accelerating a Pathway

    There is a new trend touting the transformational qualities of AI’s ability to deliver actionable data and predictive analysis that in many instances, seems to be a bit of an overpromise. The reality is that very few solutions in the cyber-physical security (CPS) space live up to this high expectation with the one exception being the new generation of Physical Identity and Access Management (PIAM) software – herein recategorized as PIAM+. Read Now

  • Protecting Your Zones

    It is game day. You can feel the crowd’s energy. In the parking lot. At the gate. In the stadium. On the concourse. Fans are eager to party. Food and merchandise vendors ready themselves for the rush. Read Now

  • Street Smarts

    The ongoing acceptance of AI and advanced data analytics has allowed surveillance camera technology to shift from being a tactical tool to a strategic business solution. Combining traditional surveillance technology with AI-based data-driven insights can streamline transportation systems, enhance traffic management, improve situational awareness, optimize resource allocation and streamline emergency response procedures. Read Now

  • The Progress of Biometrics

  • Next-Gen AI for Smart Cities

    The future of smart city technology is not being shaped in Silicon Valley — it is taking root in Dubuque, Iowa. With a population of about 60,000, this mid-sized city has become a live testbed for AI-driven traffic management thanks to a unique public-private collaboration led by Milestone Systems. Project Hafnia demonstrates how cities can transform urban mobility and safety through Responsible Technology—without costly infrastructure overhauls. Read Now

New Products

  • ResponderLink

    ResponderLink

    Shooter Detection Systems (SDS), an Alarm.com company and a global leader in gunshot detection solutions, has introduced ResponderLink, a groundbreaking new 911 notification service for gunshot events. ResponderLink completes the circle from detection to 911 notification to first responder awareness, giving law enforcement enhanced situational intelligence they urgently need to save lives. Integrating SDS’s proven gunshot detection system with Noonlight’s SendPolice platform, ResponderLink is the first solution to automatically deliver real-time gunshot detection data to 911 call centers and first responders. When shots are detected, the 911 dispatching center, also known as the Public Safety Answering Point or PSAP, is contacted based on the gunfire location, enabling faster initiation of life-saving emergency protocols.

  • Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden Door Controls has relaunched its CV-7600 card readers in response to growing market demand for a more secure alternative to standard proximity credentials that can be easily cloned. CV-7600 readers support MIFARE DESFire EV1 & EV2 encryption technology credentials, making them virtually clone-proof and highly secure.

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.”