THE SURGEONS' Lounge
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NEW THREAT
Have your trained your staff
to protect themselves against an armed intruder?
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ed of walking through several different scenarios — intruder in building hallway, intruder in waiting room, intruder in PACU area. This was followed by an open discussion with staff, which was difficult and uncomfortable to have. No one wants to think about the possibility of such a terrible event occurring in their workplace. But as uncomfortable and stressful as it may be, it is imperative to take the time now to plan and train your staff.
• Safeguard your facility. We added new locks to several doors throughout the center to create the "safe haven" areas. We installed several digital touch-code locking mechanisms that would prevent any unauthorized visitors from entering the business office or PACU area from our waiting room area. We also installed a "panic button" at our front desk that, when pushed, sends an alarm notification to our local police department. We are currently researching different kinds of protective glass for our front reception area.
Police officers warned us that during these types of situations, no one can predict how any one person will react. Some staff may be calm under this kind of situation and others may panic. Management can only provide staff with several options and choices for their protection and safety. We all hope that this type of event never occurs. It's always best to be prepared, however. We will be practicing this drill each year from now on.
— Jennifer A. Collins, CMOM, CASC
Ms. Collins (jcollins@parkwaysurgery.org) is the administrator
of the Parkway Surgery Center in Hagerstown, Md.
