Top 10 Things Every Healthcare Security Director Must Get Right! Tony W. York, CHPA, CPP Isaac Luten, IV, JD, CHPA, CPP

Top 10 Things Every Healthcare Security Director Must Get Right! Consistent and Adequate Staffing

1 – Consistent and Adequate Security Staffing ‘Flexing’ security staffing due to absences and/or vacancies creates undue risk for a healthcare facility in the event of an adverse incident. It also creates unnecessary payroll expense for the facility when the ‘minimum’ staff deployment is exceeded.

Top Ten Things Every Healthcare Security Director Must Get Right! Consistent and Adequate Staffing Control access to the Emergency Department and Intensive Care Unit

2 – Controlled Access to ED / ICU Crowd/visitor control and the ability to minimize violent activity from entering each of these units provides a healing environment in which quality care can be provided

Top 10 Things Every Healthcare Security Director Must Get Right! Consistent and Adequate Staffing Control access to the Emergency Department and Intensive Care Unit Facility-wide access control system and visitor management procedures

3 – Facility-Wide Access Control / Visitor Management Defining and controlling (where appropriate) points of entry for patients, visitors, employees, and staff assist with way-finding and customer service. It also minimizes the opportunities for crime to occur in the facility; the lack of after-hours access control is the number one vulnerability facing healthcare organizations today.

Top 10 Things Every Healthcare Security Director Must Get Right! Consistent and Adequate Staffing Control access to the Emergency Department and Intensive Care Unit Facility-wide access control system and visitor management procedures Ability to prevent and respond to issues of workplace violence

4 – Workplace Violence Prevention and Response Aggression management training coupled with an organizational response team and a defined crisis management process are critical for a healthcare facility to successfully manage this infrequent but debilitating issue.

Top 10 Things Every Healthcare Security Director Must Get Right! Consistent and Adequate Staffing Control access to the Emergency Department and Intensive Care Unit Facility-wide access control system and visitor management procedures Ability to prevent and respond to issues of workplace violence Repair, maintenance, and positioning of exterior lighting and landscaping

5 – Exterior Lighting & Landscaping Management of these important elements of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) helps a healthcare facility manage the ‘real’ and ‘perceived’ nature of security on campus.

Top 10 Things Every Healthcare Security Director Must Get Right! Consistent and Adequate Staffing Control access to the Emergency Department and Intensive Care Unit Facility-wide access control system and visitor management procedures Ability to prevent and respond to issues of workplace violence Repair, maintenance, and positioning of exterior lighting and landscaping Documented testing of electronic security systems and related equipment

6 – Security System Testing Systems or components are commonly found to be ineffective, not working as originally intended, and/or not meeting current needs.

Top 10 Things Every Healthcare Security Director Must Get Right! Consistent and Adequate Staffing Control access to the Emergency Department and Intensive Care Unit Facility-wide access control system and visitor management procedures Ability to prevent and respond to issues of workplace violence Repair, maintenance, and positioning of exterior lighting and landscaping Documented testing of electronic security systems and related equipment Standardized security staff training

7 – Security Staff Training Training to time versus an established standard coupled with the absence of a competency verification philosophy and defined post orders creates the risk of inadequate training and supervision and increases training-related expense.

Top 10 Things Every Healthcare Security Director Must Get Right! Consistent and Adequate Staffing Control access to the Emergency Department and Intensive Care Unit Facility-wide access control system and visitor management procedures Ability to prevent and respond to issues of workplace violence Repair, maintenance, and positioning of exterior lighting and landscaping Documented testing of electronic security systems and related equipment Standardized security staff training A defined “security” master plan

8 – Security Master Plan The absence of many basic theories of security creates a mixed bag of technology utilization, allocation of security staffing resources, and unfocused department mission.

Top 10 Things Every Healthcare Security Director Must Get Right! Consistent and Adequate Staffing Control access to the Emergency Department and Intensive Care Unit Facility-wide access control system and visitor management procedures Ability to prevent and respond to issues of workplace violence Repair, maintenance, and positioning of exterior lighting and landscaping Documented testing of electronic security systems and related equipment Standardized security staff training A defined “security” master plan Development of Emergency Department / Security guidelines

9 – ED / Security Guidelines Creating a joint protocol that defines ‘at-risk’ patients, the role of the assigned care provider and security in management of violent/aggressive behavior, patient searches, use of metal screening (if applicable), and visitor control improves patient and staff safety and helps prevent elopements.

Top 10 Things Every Healthcare Security Director Must Get Right! Consistent and Adequate Staffing Control access to the Emergency Department and Intensive Care Unit Facility-wide access control system and visitor management procedures Ability to prevent and respond to issues of workplace violence Repair, maintenance, and positioning of exterior lighting and landscaping Documented testing of electronic security systems and related equipment Standardized security staff training A defined “security” master plan Development of Emergency Department / Security guidelines Security in the Birth Center, Pediatrics, and overflow units

10 – Infant / Pediatric Security Staff and parental education, CCTV, access control, development of an overall proactive infant abduction prevention plan and critical incident response plan are vital elements in the protection of this vulnerable patient population.

Top 10 Things Every Healthcare Security Director Must Get Right! Consistent and Adequate Staffing Control access to the Emergency Department and Intensive Care Unit Facility-wide access control system and visitor management procedures Ability to prevent and respond to issues of workplace violence Repair, maintenance, and positioning of exterior lighting and landscaping Documented testing of electronic security systems and related equipment Standardized security staff training A defined “security” master plan Development of Emergency Department / Security guidelines Security in the Birth Center, Pediatrics, and overflow units

QUESTIONS? Tony W. York, CPP, CHPA Senior Vice President HSS tyork@hss-us.com 303.603.3101 Isaac Luten, JD, CPP, CHPA Principal Consultant HSS iluten@hss-us.com 303.603.3000