Streamlining Healthcare Security

KentuckyOne partners with security providers to identify and mitigate potential risks

• By Kim Rahfaldt
• February 01, 2019

Hospitals and healthcare facilities are some of the most active public spaces in the United States, and while most facilities strive to maintain a welcoming atmosphere, without protective measures this open-door policy can make them vulnerable to criminal activity. For KentuckyOne Healthcare System—a part of the Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI) family of hospitals and one of the largest and most comprehensive health systems in the Commonwealth of Kentucky—finding a security provider that could address the site-specific challenges and deliver qualified security personnel was daunting.

Working with five separate security providers, as well as an in-house team to secure more than 20 hospitals, KentuckyOne sought to consolidate their security team under one roof to streamline operations. KentuckyOne selected G4S Secure Solutions (USA) and AMAG Technology to address KentuckyOne’s unique environment, population, community served and related risks. While G4S brought highlytrained and experienced security personnel to KentuckyOne’s hospitals, AMAG brought innovative security technology, RISK360, which provided real-time incident reporting and case management, allowing stakeholders to report, track and resolve incidents and identify and mitigate potential risks.

Working with different security providers at multiple locations also led to challenges in leadership and accountability within the security system. If the hospital faced an issue at one location and a second issue at another, they did not have a single point of contact who could address their concerns. G4S implemented a leadership structure that supported the entire system. Now, when a pain point comes up, the security team has a single contact who can address the issue, rather than the headache of multiple phone calls to determine who can help solve a problem. And while the consolidation of the security program saved KentuckyOne the stress of working with multiple providers, it also allowed the hospital to add 650 hours of coverage per week without increasing the cost of the security program.

Prior to the partnership, KentuckyOne had no minimum hiring standards for physical security personnel while the security team onsite had no pre-assignment or healthcare-specific training. G4S introduced a blend of Custom Protection Officers (CPO) and Upscale Security Officers (USO) who are recruited and screened according to their talents, experience and background. To qualify to be a CPO or USO, security officers must hold a degree in criminal justice, police science of security administration or have law enforcement or military experience.

Beyond their personal backgrounds, every G4S Security Officer protecting KentuckyOne underwent 80 hours of pre-assignment training specific to the healthcare environment, including CPR / First Aid & AED training and Dale Carnegie Customer Service certifications. All security officers are equipped with Secure Trax, a mobile officer-management platform enabling remote check-ins, post verifications and compliance reporting. Secure Trax also allows security managers to see where security officers are located and realtime incident reporting.

Stakeholders faced inconsistent reporting and a lack of visibility to the data. AMAG’s RISK360 incident and case management system captures data and converts it into information that can be used to investigate and resolve incidents. The program eliminated cost inconsistencies and inefficient communications by outlining a workflow from start to finish.

RISK360 also aided dispatch by identifying the closest available responder to deploy to an event, improving efficiencies and saving valuable time. Additionally, the program tracked the financial impact of an event and the investigative process to resolve an incident.

With trained and experienced security officers on-site and increased security technology and reporting, security incidents decreased while post coverage and response times increased. The security of the environment was enhanced as well, as the security personnel understood and addressed the client’s unique challenges.

The continuous improvements to the security program worked to further strengthen the relationship between KentuckyOne, G4S and AMAG, creating peace of mind and a safer, more secure healthcare system throughout the KentuckyOne Healthcare System. By elevating hiring and training standards and delivering strong leadership and technology-enabled accountability, KentuckyOne accomplished its mission to bring wellness, healing and hope to all.

“Our partnership with G4S and AMAG has been a tremendous win for the security of our campuses,” said Gregg Dobbs, National Physical Security Manager for CHI. “We are efficiently furthering the safety of our patients, visitors and employees. I truly believe that what we are going to accomplish in the end will serve not only as a model of CHI to emulate, but can ultimately be the envy of the industry.”

This article originally appeared in the January/February 2019 issue of Campus Security Today.