A Modern Challenge Requiring a Modern Solution
With gun-related violence rising in the United States, hospitals face new security challenges to keep their patients and employees safe. Just last year, for example, a gunman was able to enter a public hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma, resulting in the deaths of four people and injuries to several others. Hospitals, by their very nature, require a certain level of accessibility to the public and their employees, but therein lies a certain level of unavoidable risk. How do we maintain accessibility in our hospital while also ensuring the safety of those within it?
UMC Police Chief, Scott Bradley, recognizes that a complex problem requires a complex solution. He believes dependable, non-invasive, and ubiquitous security measures balance general safety and the accessibility expected of hospitals like UMC. A combination of technological and individual vigilance contributes to what he believes is a holistic security approach. “Security is everyone’s responsibility.” He went further in considering the fundamentals of policing and security, evoking Sir Robert Peel, who in 1892 established the London Metropolitan Police Force and is widely considered the “Father of Modern Policing.” Chief Bradley quoted Peel, saying, “The police are the public, and the public are the police.” This somewhat simple but important idea holds in considering each employee’s responsibility to the security of others. He finished with an important adage against one of the most insidious challenges to security: complacency. Chief Bradley said, “If you see something, say something.”
UMC’s Robust Security Infrastructure
UMC has built a strong security system, working from a model of “Concentric Rings of Control and Protection,” designed to create a layered security effect that results in points of intervention at nearly every level. No area is outside of our security team’s consideration. Jeff Hill, Senior Vice President of Support Services, said, “We’ve done security assessments that consider the exterior of the building, including the parking lots, through the hospital itself. We looked at everything from lighting to the capabilities of existing surveillance technologies to entrances; we looked across the health system, leading to a series of recommendations to Executive Leadership.” Those recommendations included personnel training, hardware and software measures, registration, and now sophisticated AI in a comprehensive security suite meant to keep our employees and patients safe.
Here’s a brief example of UMC’s security features:
- Fully armed security and police force
- Department panic buttons
- On-campus 24/7/365 dispatch
- Secured doors and tap badge access panels
- Comprehensive surveillance systems
- Unit-specific and global Run/Fight/Hide trainings
- Standardization of Go Bags for active shooter response
- Vehicle and employee registrations
- On-going security assessments
- And much more
UMC Embraces the Future of Security Through ZeroEyes AI Technology
AI is a hot topic in 2023, and for anyone paying attention, the AI race is officially on. OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Bard, DALL-E image generation software, and the popular Midjourney have all drawn global attention among millions of daily users. Enter ZeroEyes, a well-established AI security technology created by Navy Seals, Special Operations military veterans, and technologists. ZeroEyes’ HIPAA-compliant visual gun detection and intelligent situational awareness software will be layered on UMC’s existing surveillance systems. Identified gun images will instantly be shared with the ZeroEyes Operation Center (ZOC), staffed 24/7/365 by specially trained U.S. military and law enforcement veterans. These experts will verify the threat and dispatch alerts and actionable intelligence, including visual description, gun type, and last known location, to local staff and UMC Police Force as fast as 3 to 5 seconds from detection.
In reflecting on statistical evidence when considering the potential of the AI technology, Jeff Hill said, “When you study active shooter events, most of these events begin outside of the building and come into the building. The idea with this type of surveillance is to identify these threats quicker so that we can intervene as soon as possible, resulting in saved lives.”
A National Leader in Hospital Security
Striking that perfect balance between security and accessibility will always be a challenge. There’s no “single solution” for addressing every security risk. However, through meticulous and considerate assessments, swift implementation, and a security-minded administration and staff, UMC, as it does nearly every challenge, finds a way to be a leader, to be innovative, and to create a model for our region and our country. In considering this important responsibility, Mark Funderburk said, “UMC is the first hospital in the region to employ AI-based gun detection security measures. Our goal is solid—to ensure our healthcare team and patients feel safe and are safe. Toward that end, we are very impressed by the quality and speed of ZeroEyes’ response to threats. We have invested in the most innovative and state-of-the-art technology available today while maintaining a welcoming, non-hostile environment.”
Enter to Win a $50 Gift Card by Sharing Your Thoughts!
We’d love to hear from you. Progress Notes, after all, is about telling your story. If you’d like to enter to win a $50 gift card, join the conversation by sharing your thoughts. You have FOUR opportunities each month to send in your answers to each article, meaning FOUR entries into the monthly drawing! Simply answer the following question(s) to be entered to win:
- How do you feel, generally, about the safety and security measures employed by UMC?
- (OPTIONAL) Are there any safety suggestions you have that might improve our security infrastructure?
Send your answer in an email to ProgressNotes@umchealthsystem.com.