Healthcare Case Study
The initial goal of the new security program was to control access to the multiple facilities, which handled over 2 million visitors annually. The answer was an integrated security program that would give Wackenhut’s Custom Protection Officers® the ability to quickly determine the status of every individual on the premises. A state-of-the-art visitor management system was installed at every public entrance to generate a one-day ID badge with their name and photo.
The Custom Protection Officers® administering the system cross-referenced visitors with a patient registration list, then added the visitor’s final destination to the ID badge, allowing patrol officers and staff to spot an out-of-place visitor.
Custom Protection Officers® were specially trained on relevant healthcare topics such as non-violent crisis intervention, HIPPA standards, WMD response, and customer service orientation. All focused on maintaining the environment of care standards for the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) and hospital policies.
The changes in the security program were immediate, and the response from visitors and staff was overwhelmingly positive. In the first year, the new program demonstrated a quantifiable decrease in reported thefts and incidents. According to the security director, “A very large and integral part of our security plan is the people. We do not focus exclusively on technology—you have to have good people, and there is no substitute for Wackenhut’s Custom Protection Officers®.”
“The staff can feel safe in district facilities because they have the tightest security I have seen in my years as a surveyor. [Wackenhut] seems to be an integral part of the organization, not just a contractor.” - JCAHO Field Representative
