Tufts Health Plan is a Massachusetts-based regional non-profit managed care company committed to quality health care, service and value. The 30-year-old organization has offices in Worcester and Springfield, Massachusetts, as well as a new Providence, Rhode Island, location to serve the growing market in that state.
Tufts Health Plan’s HMO and PSO products are ranked second in the nation and its Medicare Advantage program has been ranked among the top 10 in the nation by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA),
The company headquarters is located in a 6-story, 500,000 square foot building in Watertown, Massachusetts, just west of Boston. The health plan is not associated with nearby Tufts University or Tufts Medical Center. Since 1995, Securitas USA has been on-site 24/7 to “help secure the facilities, protect our people and our information,” says Mark Foster, Tufts Health Plan’s Manager of Security & Safety. “They are our entire security officer contingent. We have two Tufts Health Plan security professionals on staff, but the day-to-day duties are solely carried out by Securitas.”
Those duties include staffing lobby entrances, managing the 1400-space parking garage as well as the commuter incentive programs, and roving patrols. Most critically, Securitas officers staff the Security Control Center, where they can monitor all four of Tufts Health Plan facilities and handle access control as well as safety issues. “Any security issue, fire, flood or malfunction of equipment all runs through the control center,” Foster explains. “It is the heartbeat of information for security.”
Training for Success
“Every Friday, we do a drill for all security officers,” says Foster. “Sometimes, it is a procedure that may only happen once a year; sometimes, something we hope never happens, like someone stuck in an elevator.” All officers are trained in both CPR and the usage of Automated External Defibrillators (AED) and are first responders in medical emergencies. To work in the Security Control Center, officers must be adept at multi-tasking, undergo detailed training, including classroom sessions, and pass a test to be certified as control center operators by Tufts Health Plan. And there is always on-going training in order to keep up-to-date with the latest equipment.
To keep up-to-date on teamwork, Foster hosts Saturday meetings for the security team once a quarter. “This is a time when we can share things that are on our mind in an effort to both improve the operation and increase the level of trust,” he says. Topics go beyond security. “Securitas officers represent Tufts Health Plan at the front desk and so they should be pretty knowledgeable about what we are doing. By giving them a heads up on what’s going on internally, we empower them to speak intelligently about their role here.”
While these quarterly sessions were originally just for the on-site Securitas team, attendance has been expanded to include the local Securitas USA branch, training and human resource managers as well as the area vice president. “Management hears first hand from the officers and from us, and that helps with hiring new officers; it’s a good session for everyone involved,” Foster said.
According to Foster, Securitas’ ability to correctly staff the account is crucial.
“They know what we need and are able to pick the right person for the right job – not just send someone here to fill a post. Instead, we want candidates who want to be in the security business, embrace what we are doing and have the ability to cooperate.” He sees those same qualities reflected in his local Securitas USA management team. “Both the account manager and branch manager are visible, approachable and accountable; anytime I’ve had an issue or a problem, they’ve responded in a timely and appropriate fashion with our best interests in mind.”
“Securitas is a big international company,” he adds, “but what’s important to me is what happens locally.”