Professional and Responsive Service for Two California Hospitals

Located in the northeast corner of the San Francisco Bay, midway to Sacramento, NorthBay Healthcare is a non-profit organization that serves the growing suburban communities of Solano County with a full network of health care facilities anchored by two regional hospitals. NorthBay Medical Center is a 150,000 square foot, 140-bed hospital in downtown Fairfield.

The center is home to all acute care services, plus a busy maternity unit – which includes the regional Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), a Cardio Vascular Surgery Unit, Cancer Center – and  a variety of other services conducted in additional medical office buildings and ancillary facilities.  In the neighboring town of Vacaville, VacaValley Hospital is a 90,000 square foot, 50-bed facility.  Both hospitals have helipads and 24-hour emergency departments.

To help keep the patients, visitors, employees and facilities safe, NorthBay Healthcare contracts with Securitas USA for about 560 hours each week, which covers round-the-clock service at both hospitals.  Officers run the facilities’ access control systems, mount patrols both inside the hospitals and on their grounds, and provide specialized services such as manning the helipad.  After hours, officers have stepped-up customer service responsibilities, and must be able to provide visitors with a welcome and directions while simultaneously keeping an eye on security.

“The officers are integral to all emergency protocols,” says Dave Mathews, NorthBay’s Director of Plant Operations & General Services.  Officers respond to  fire alarms, staff members who are in need of assistance with unruly patients, precipitous baby deliveries or bomb threats, as well as to the non-medical alerts specific to hospitals including “Code Pink,” the infant security system that sounds if a newborn or pediatrics patient is taken out of the unit.  Officers also provide a meet and greet for any emergency requiring area police or fire departments, prepare security incident reports and perform citizen’s arrests.  “They have developed relationships with both police departments,” he adds.

Securitas USA officers receive extensive, specialized training in managing aggressive behavior (known in the field as MOAB training). “Not everyone who comes to the hospital is happy,” notes Mathews.   Officers must deal with issues from patients and visitors that include suicide attempts, domestic violence and gunshot wounds, as well as behaviors that are addled by drug use, psychological issues or grief.  “What makes security different in hospitals is the interface with the patient and their families,” says Mathews.  “This is an environment where people lose loved ones, and that can create emotions such as grief and anger.”

To measure success, local Securitas management runs an internal survey at the two hospitals.  Among the metrics are professionalism, responsiveness and courtesy.  “Securitas officers are placed in positions where critical thinking is necessary; they are the person in charge of sometimes intense situations,”  Mathews notes.  Those same qualities are the ones that he values in his own relationship with his local management team.  The contract between the two companies has a 15-year history, and, according to Mathews, is renegotiated annually with a simple extension. “I have to say that they are very responsive to my needs.  They are reasonable on the rates and are also reasonable in the split between their profit and what they give to the officers.  Management of security is not one of the problems I have to deal with regularly because it is handled by Securitas.”

 

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