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Market Commentary

Pandemic Security Best Practices for Care Facilities

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The current Covid-19 pandemic has forced many businesses to pause and take stock of their most essential practices with security measures and operations at the top of this list.

Care facilities especially face a daunting task in evaluating their current protective measures as they are charged now more than ever with the safety of their patients, workers and limited visitors. Care and acute care facilities don’t have the option of slowing down or stopping during this pandemic, so they must work to identify gaps and prioritize organizational needs in real-time.

With that in mind, read on for security best practices care facilities can implement during this pandemic.

Emphasize Internal Communication

Your organization’s improved security applications will only be successful if your personnel are up to date on new policies and programs.

Measures such as continued employee training, meetings and educational forums to help each team member understand the different types of protections being added and why are critical. Be as transparent with staff as possible, so they, in turn, have the information to reassure patients and still meet compliance standards.

Limit Entry Points

With staff severely limited and being pulled in a million different directions to treat and address a myriad of health-related concerns, care facilities will have an easier time staying secure if they commit to limited accessibility to their buildings.

 This may mean a bit of inconvenience to staff and essential visitors, especially with only one or two entrances and exits being available. However, limiting openings also means limiting vulnerabilities, and this is important to mitigate safety risks to your facilities and the people under your care.

Alter Door Schedules

As security needs continue to change quickly, healthcare facilities equipped with keyless entry or door control systems may want to reevaluate their access schedules.

Modifying things like specific open and close times can aid in keeping non-essential visitors or personnel from entering facilities. Altering door schedules, including alarms notifications, can also be used to alert superiors if any staff is breaking policy by using, for instance, a temporarily banned exit as a shortcut to reach their parking spot after shifts.

 This type of information can assist in greater security compliance and lessen potential exposures.

Manage Visitor Access

The majority of care and acute care facilities in the U.S. have implemented much more stringent guidelines when it comes to who can and cannot have access.

While many patients may have a hard time adjusting to these new protocols, it is meant to stop the spread of disease from carrying on throughout your facilities. So with that in mind, here are some guiding tips from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention:

  • Facilities should designate an entrance that visitors can use to access the healthcare facility.
  • Facilities should encourage visitors to be aware of signs and symptoms of acute respiratory illness consistent with COVID-19 and not enter the facility if they have such signs and symptoms.
  • Visitors are strongly discouraged from visiting patients who are at high risk for severe illness from COVID-19, including patients who are older adults or with an underlying medical condition.
  • Facilities should have staff members who are able to provide training and education to visitors.

Invest in New Security Measures

Your facility likely already has existing security measures in place, but because technology is continually evolving, healthcare safety infrastructures should be, too.

High-quality security camera systems are valuable tools to put in place that can then help expand protective measures around healthcare facilities. With commercial solutions like Lorex’s 4K wired systems, you’ll get an integrative network that includes ultra high-definition (4K) cameras, a professional-grade NVR recording system capable of storing plenty of recorded video and remote accessibility for viewing.

Replace outdated surveillance systems with more modern, secure versions made for protecting your facility and its occupants.

Safeguard Your Facility

Covid-19 has brought its share of uncertainty and upended daily life for most of the world.

By following best practices such as limiting non-essential visitors and upgrading your commercial security systems, you not only lessen the risks put upon care facilities, you play a larger role in helping staff and patients alike find some peace of mind in this uncertainty.