Here is a comment that was posted to ShowMeBlog.
"Dear Mr. Howard: I viewed a couple of your stories on youtube about hospital security. I have worked in security at a hospital for ten years. The problems is, the security officers have no training, and we are always understaffed. We have a police officer (LT) who is in charge of our program and one sgt. (supervisor). We currently have only 8 officers in a nearly 600 bed hospital. I've been asking for training for the officers for years, and to be better staffed, but no one is doing anything about these problems. What is your advice? Thank you, Anthony Jordan"
First let me thank you for the question. Let me also thank you for your service to your community. A hospital is the heart of a community. People are born in hospitals, give birth and die and in between think of all the time we spent at hospitals. Hospitals are a key part of homeland security.
You have given ten years of your life in the service of the people of your home town. I am sorry you don't get more credit and respect for it. But you know that everyday you help people. I am sure many of them thank you each day.
You are also trying to be professional and make your department professional. I am sorry your not having more luck. It is a hard battle. Hospital management now look at the spread sheets and the balance sheets and think less and less about patient care. Of course they would never admit to that last point.
They look at security as a loss. They do not see you adding to their bottom line. They see money going out and none coming in from security. You and I know they are wrong. We know that someone raped in a parking lot can cost them big time in PR and in a tort court case. We know that simple things taken care of by security save them money each day; reporting spills on the floor, getting burned out lights on, turning off lights and other things to save power, finding pumps and motors and other hard ware that needs repair before they break and cost more money or cause a fire or some other problem.
Your the first person many people see when they come to a hospital. Well I do not have to tell you all this you know it.
You did not mention if you have a department head that is director of security. I suspect you do not. My guess is that some one like the director of plant operations speaks for you at meetings. I am sure he is thinking about his own department. It would help if you had a department head for safety and security but that is sort of out of your hands.
Having a police officer as head of your force, I bet, does not help you much. He is in "police" mode and not safety, security and service mode.
I agree 8 officers for a 600 bed hospital is not enough staff. I worked at a 350 bed hospital, it was in a very bad area, and we had 10 officers. We had two shot out of ten. One was killed. Even if your hospital is in a good area 8 officers is not enough.
Well my advice, for what it is worth, try and get a department head. Hope you get a security professional to head your force. Write reports on everything. I mean everything; spills, lost and found and everything. See that the person or persons that are higher up in hospital administration get copies and get the stats. How many escorts you all do and doors found open. How many calls for service.. everything.
I hope all the other officers try and act professional. The hospital staff is professional and you need to show them that you have your own profession and that your part of the hospital team.
I wish you luck. Take care of yourself. Your number one rule should be to go home safe each day to your family.
This is me in 1973 at St. Joseph Hospital in Kansas City, MO.
The area was so bad that doctors and people did not want to come to the hospital. We had a security staff of ten. We had two shot in the line of duty in less than a year. One was killed.
The hospital had to close and move to a new location due to people not wanting to go to the hospital.
That might not happen today because people have insurance that forces them to go to certain hospital.
But still people need to feel safe and secure.
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