Security Enhancement Update
September 30, 2010
To all Medical Staff:
Good Shepherd Medical Center is ramping up security measures at the Longview campus, to ensure the safety of patients, staff and visitors. These added measures will include the installation of a metal detector at the emergency room entrance, effective October 18.
All visitors between the hours of 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. will be directed to the emergency entrance on the south side of the hospital, where the metal detector will be installed and operative as of October 18. All visitors will be required to pass through the metal detector as a safety precaution.
The level of security will be heightened with the inclusion of the metal detectors, but campus security has not been an afterthought for the hospital. This summer, employees and medical staff were issued new identification badges that included an added security device, known as radio frequency identification (RFID). These badges allow access to building entrances and secured departments, such as the Emergency Department (ED).
While no specific instances at Good Shepherd have dictated the need for the added security device, Board and management feel that any and all security measures are proactive and will ensure the safety of our patients, staff and visitors. Recent violence at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore reveals the ever-present danger of volatile assailants, whether they are patients, family members, or even healthcare workers.
The Joint Commission’s Environment of Care standards require healthcare facilities to address and maintain a written plan describing how an institution provides for the security of patients, staff and visitors. It recommends that facilities take extra security precautions in the ED, especially if the hospital is in an area with a higher crime rate or gang activity.
Additionally, Good Shepherd is taking measures to increase training of doctors, nurses, and security personnel on de-escalation techniques, recognition of potentially violent patients early, and getting help before an incident occurs. If you have any questions or concerns about the security measures being implemented, please contact the security department at (903) 315-3376.