Managing healthcare environments in 2024 requires juggling multiple responsibilities – preventing workplace violence while increasing staff retention rates; driving better patient outcomes; preserving your brand reputation – all while keeping the business thriving. It’s a big task, and one that you shouldn’t tackle alone.

To help you navigate these complexities, we consulted with two experts: David Ballard and Rich McElwain, Flock Safety Solutions Consultants. With over 35 years of combined law enforcement experience and expertise in criminal investigations, they offer invaluable insights into creating safer healthcare environments.

This 7-part series presents actionable strategies drawn from their extensive knowledge, designed to enhance security, protect healthcare workers, and improve patient outcomes. In our seventh and final installment, we go through the ways you can ensure each entrance to your facility is covered.

Discover more security strategies for your healthcare facility in our guide: 7 Security Strategies to Protect Nurses, Doctors & Patients From Violence.

Part 7: Safeguard Every Entrance with Comprehensive Coverage

Comprehensive coverage of entrances to your facility is crucial to prevent unauthorized access and ensure the safety of staff, patients, and visitors. This article delves into the significance of safeguarding every entrance and how healthcare facilities can utilize technology to achieve thorough coverage.

The Role of Securing Entrances

Healthcare facilities are bustling environments with numerous entry and exit points that must be secured. Criminals often exploit security weaknesses, and unmonitored or inadequately protected entrances can be vulnerable to unauthorized access and potential threats. Comprehensive entrance coverage ensures that all entry points are continuously monitored and secured, significantly reducing the risk of security breaches.

Leveraging Flock Safety License Plate Recognition (LPR) and Flock Safety Video  for Comprehensive Coverage

Given that patients, who often are well-known repeat offenders, are responsible for 80% of assaults on healthcare workers, it's crucial for your security team to be alerted when these individuals are nearby. This awareness allows you to proactively prevent incidents of violence.

Implementing Flock License Plate Recognition (LPR) cameras around the perimeter of your hospital campus is a highly effective way to enhance situational awareness and identify known offenders. Flock Safety Falcon® LPR cameras not only record the vehicles entering and exiting the area but also provide real-time alerts to in-house security when vehicles of concern are detected. With additional context from Flock Safety Condor™ Video cameras, your security can also tap in to a live view of the situation in order to effectively assess the risk and determine the action needed to de-escalate.

By working with Flock’s expert Solutions Consultants, they’ll build out a customized plan to fit your facility, your geography, and your crime concerns. This ensures that your investment is tailored to your scenario for the best outcomes.

Case Study: Protecting  Hospital Staff With Real-Time Alerts

Also, by covering every entrance you can intervene in situations where repeat offender situations may exist. For example, one hospital campus had a Flock alert set for a potential domestic violence case. The flagged vehicle entered campus the first time and was intercepted by hospital staff to prevent entry to the building. The individual came on property a second time and was again intercepted before entering the hospital and creating a hostile, unsafe situation for staff and patients.

If this hospital did not have a solid perimeter covering all entrances and exits, this situation could have quickly escalated and turned violent. In scenarios where individuals are intent on taking action, having a solid perimeter protection plan can be the difference between proactively intercepting a potential incident in the parking lot or reactively responding to an imminent threat 

‍

Safeguarding every entrance with comprehensive coverage is essential for the security of healthcare facilities. By integrating advanced technologies such as surveillance cameras, access control systems, LPR, and audio detection, healthcare providers can create a robust security infrastructure that effectively detects and responds to potential threats. This proactive approach not only enhances safety but also provides peace of mind for staff, patients, and visitors, contributing to a secure and protected healthcare environment.