As police investigate the deadly shooting at Mercy Hospital in Chicago, hospitals here at home continue to maintain high levels of security.
French Hospital has security watching cameras inside as well as patrolling the outside and it doesn’t stop there.
“We train on a once annual basis on active shooter scenarios. We do that in conjunction with the San Luis Obispo Police Department who has been very instrumental in helping us devise our plan,” explained Dr. James Malone, Chief Medical Officer of French Hospital Medical Center.
The hospital’s active shooter safety plan is even involved in the latest renovations of its new Emergency Department.
“[We’re adding things] such as bulletproof glass and bullet resistant materials in the lobby of the emergency department – particularly the registration booths the staffs work behind, recognizing the emergency department is one area across the country that can be more at risk than other parts of the hospital,” Dr. Malone explained.
We reached out to the other hospitals in our area.
A spokesperson for Cottage Health tells us:
This is devastating for all those who dedicate their careers to caring for and serving others. Our hearts go out to those in Chicago.
Today our hospitals, like so many others, have trained security personnel who work to protect those who are receiving and providing care. Our focus is to keep hospitals a safe place for healing.
And a representative for Twin Cities and Sierra Vista hospitals sent us a statement saying:
We take the security and safety of our patients, physicians, visitors and employees very seriously. We have established security processes and procedures in place at our hospitals, and we routinely participate in drills. For security reasons, we are unable to share the details of our plans.
