Security Technology Executive

MAY-JUN 2016

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• nuclear source material storage areas • and any other areas within the facility that may have specific issues due to critical facility infra- structures and/or confidential information. Emergency departments require constant sur- veillance by security and law enforcement person- nel during a disaster or public health emergency, as this is the primary "hot spot" for most hos- pitals. When not on patrol or answering other calls for service, security officers typically post themselves near the ED whenever possible due to this fact. Long-term presence of behavioral health patients, forensic prisoner patients being treated 24 hours a day, gang activity, acts of vio- lence and potential response to public healthcare issues such as contamination events and patient surges keep the ED a very busy and strategically important asset. Labor and Delivery / Pediatric units present special concerns from a healthcare security per- spective. Aside from the possibility of infant abductions, these units are prime areas for domestic disturbances especially during increased times of anxiety and stress. Add to this the fact that an injured child often results in many more overnight visitors than adult patients and these areas can present a real security challenge when a community wide disaster occurs. Likewise, due to a specialized patient popula- tion, Behavioral Health units also have unique security concerns. Many patients in these areas have conditions that can cause them to be irratio- nal or have violent reactions to others with little or no warning as well as constant concern over elopement attempts or patients attempt- ing to harm themselves should an opportunity become available -- such as a distraction of staff or an increase in patient to caregiv- er ratio that can occur during a public health emergency situation. Due to the presence of scheduled drugs and other controlled substances, pharmacies have always been a security sensitive area of any healthcare facility, as are any business offices or areas that collect money. These areas are primary targets of criminal activity. Other areas of a hospital that may not appear as critical to the general public but can have a negative impact on the operation of the facility should illegal activ- ity occur are data centers, medical records units, hazardous materials storage areas and infra- structure control centers. Protecting the Data Confidentiality is a huge concern in any health- care facility. To ensure consistency and to meet the many requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA in the US, similar laws exist in other countries), health- care providers must closely guard the security of certain records. Confidential information wheth- er patient-related, staff-related, or financial in nature can include a hard copy or electronic files and the potential misuse of such data could be related to a variety of criminal and other mali- cious acts, which is why extraordinary precau- tions must be taken to protect such data. Medical records, for example, have a long shelf life as far as ongoing criminal activity is concerned, pro- viding long term gains with very little risk and significant anonymity. Medical records can offer a far better financial yield than other types of sto- len information. For example, you can sell the contents of the medical record and keep a copy to obtain fraudulent prescriptions which you can then resell for even more profit. Similarly, with the increased threat of terror- ism, many areas that previously were not con- sidered security sensitive are now being reex- amined, such as mechanical rooms, communica- tions centers and other critical infrastructure departments of the hospital. Any incidents, planned or incidental, which affect systems such as telecom- m u n i c a t i o n s , While hospitals do not typically present a primary target for terrorism or criminal action (although in certain specific circumstances they do have that distinction) all healthcare facilities, regardless of their size and scope, have a number of areas that can be considered "security sensitive". Image Courtesy of BigStock.com Emergency departments require constant surveillance by security and law enforcement personnel during a disaster or public health emergency, as this is the primary "hot spot" for most hospitals. Image Courtesy of BigStock.com

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