The Problem of Hospital Violence
Jeff began the episode by observing, “This is probably one of the most important episodes that I’ll ever do, because it focuses on something that we don’t like to think about, but we need to think about, which is security and safety.”
Hector Delgado, Chief Law Enforcement Officer at SOS Technologies, was a featured guest on this episode, joined by David Davidson, a board-certified expert in healthcare law. The three discussed the escalating number of violent incidents in healthcare facilities and how new technologies are required to ensure safety, quicken emergency response, and bolster the reputation of healthcare providers.
Jeff chose Hector as a featured speaker given Hector’s decades of far-reaching experience in safety, security, and threat assessment. This includes over 29 years of active and reserve service as a Navy SEAL and tenure as a Special Agent with the Department of Homeland Security and as a member of the Joint Terrorism Task Force. A recognized expert in the field, Hector has led Active Shooter Response Training seminars around the country and trained thousands of students in the use of weapons, demolition, physical security, and executive protection.
Securing Healthcare Facilities and Staying Prepared for Emergencies
Hector initially recommended SOS Technologies for hospitals because of the ER’s role in emergency response and SOS Technologies’ ability to send them active threat/active shooter alerts. He learned that hospital administrators wanted a complete security and emergency preparedness platform of their own, to respond to the escalating number of violent incidents toward healthcare staff.
He said, “My initial engagement with hospitals was not to sell [the SmartSOS platform] to hospitals. I looked at the emergency room as part of that first responder network. I was very disappointed and upset at the results of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando: Many people died because they bled out. Additionally, the hospitals were not prepared for mass casualty, whether it was to deploy or to receive. So I felt that notifying the emergency room and surgeons is important when there’s an incident, an active shooter. That was my approach. And the hospital said, ‘Wait a minute, we have our own issues here. This is something that we’d like to discuss further–not only active threats, but how can we communicate our internal emergencies?’”
Hector explained, “What started out as my focus was active shooter/active threat, and it still is, but we realized in the hospital that they had a communication challenge with the security officers having radios or using their phones,” to give and receive security alerts. “Look, I’ve been shot at a lot in Iraq,” he continued. “It’s not fun–you’re gonna lose all fine motor skills. So you’re this employee who needs help immediately. Having the ability to hit a button or a pendant and getting a response [from] security officers… immediately or in under 20 seconds to help them–that’s important.”
A key feature of the SmartSOS platform is its ability to directly communicate with law enforcement once an alert is triggered, but it also has the ability to route alerts internally to hospital security officers. “There are organizations, like hospitals, that actually want to control their narrative, and they’re able to do it in hospitals,” Hector explained. “They’re able to deal with 90, 95 percent of local issues and emergencies. Sometimes there’s folks that are emotional, whether there was a death or responding to an emergency in the emergency room…. Those are things that can be dealt with at certain levels. And if it has to escalate, then they can call first responders. But,” he stressed, “in an active shooter/active threat [situation]–where it’s not a fire drill, where you have to assess and then you have to survive–having that direct connection to law enforcement is extremely important.”
Ineffectiveness of Siloed Security Solutions for Emergency Management
Another hallmark of the SOS Technologies emergency monitoring and response platform is that it integrates all existing technology to function as a unit, which is especially important in large, sprawling healthcare facilities like hospitals.
Most organizations currently “have siloed solutions,” Hector said. Although locations can have cameras, a PA system, and an alarm system, “it’s all siloed.” Facilities administrators need to understand that these are more effective when integrated. “Let’s integrate that. They should be speaking together. That’s how we approach it,” said Hector.
In addition to integrating separate elements, another important feature of an effective security platform is knowing how to use it. “We want to be sensitive to first responders because we take false alarms extremely [seriously].” Hector also acknowledged that the SmartSOS platform is not out “to replace 911,” and there are “certain emergencies that you have to just continue to use existing protocols.
“But when there’s an imminent danger,” he said, “for active shooter/active threat, you need to be able to get those first responders on scene” immediately, and an integrated platform that communicates directly with law enforcement is the most efficient way to do that.
Equally important in an active threat situation is using integrated technology to notify employees instantly. “Give them an opportunity to know what’s going on,” Hector stressed. “Hospitals are huge. Gunfire in one corner, you won’t hear” at the other end of the hospital. “So the program is continuing to grow. And it’s continuing to provide solutions for other challenges of how [to] respond inside a hospital.”
The best part about SOS Technologies’ platform integration is that existing systems do not have to be replaced. “We’re not ripping out cameras. We’re agnostic. Our platform can work with your cameras,” Hector said. “So there’s a holistic approach” that enables threat deterrence and access control and at the same time has a response mechanism and platform in place, using AI, to have first responders arrive as quickly as possible.
Some Providers Are Not Keeping Pace
During the conversation, both David and Jeff observed how care facilities for the elderly are not keeping pace with emergency preparedness, access control, and threat assessment needs.
“I think nursing homes, assisted living facilities, even adult living facilities are lagging behind,” said David. “There might be a gate to get in, but really nothing beyond that.”
Jeff agreed, pointing out that his parents live in such a community, and, “There is no visible means of security other than a gate. You got a gate that you go through and frankly, it’s easy to go through without getting checked.”
Hector validated their observations. “I’ve been to several locations like that just to conduct risk assessments, and I see security lacking,” he said. “Also, those folks have different ailments and sicknesses. They may have dementia…and they’re gonna wander out. So it’s not only for the external threats, it’s the internal threats that they can do to themselves or others as they act out,” said Hector.
In keeping the elderly safe, however, “we don’t want it to look like a jail,” Hector explained. With the Smart SOS platform, it doesn’t have to. Hector observed that Americans like their surroundings to be “aesthetically pleasing,” and there are “opportunities to enhance security and safety solutions and platforms in those environments,” without sacrificing design and beauty.
Neglecting Safety Can Be a Bad Business Move
The primary motivator of patient, staff, and visitor safety aside, installing an integrated security system is a sound decision from financial and public relations perspectives.
“If I’m a consumer and I have a choice between two hospitals, and one of them had an incident, I don’t want to go there. I’d rather go to the other one that didn’t have the incident,” said Jeff.
“I think the C suite is looking at the occurrences,” Hector elaborated. In addition to a tarnished reputation, the potential lawsuits businesses face after an incident are “affecting shareholder value. So the insurance industry is now on board” in addition to the C suite, he said. They want to know what facilities are doing “to protect our employees, protect the public, the folks that walk through the door.” Using a platform like SmartSOS is “an enhancement utilizing technology to enhance existing” security. It’s a “holistic approach,” Hector explained.
“Good Enough” Just Isn’t Good Enough
“Our system and platform satisfy the CMS Final Rule 2017 under emergency preparedness, where this enhances that communication method,” Hector explained. “So everyone gets the information: What is going on? Where’s it going on? And actually, what does it look like? Because we can transmit images.”
Unfortunately, there are organizations that only implement the bare minimum. “When it comes to security, a lot of folks say, ‘How high do I need to have the fence? Well, three feet–those are the regulations,’” said Hector. “But someone like me will go, ‘Hey, let’s put a six-foot fence. Let’s put an eight-foot fence. Let’s do it the right way.’ So the challenge we have is with organizations or individuals who just want to check the box with an app or check the box with something that’s really not a true solution, but yet it satisfies the mandate. They’ve done something.” Putting it simply, Hector said, “I think you know doing it right is different than just checking the box.”
Watch the full video.