This document, Safety and Security Considerations for Hospitals, synthesizes strategies compiled by a GNYHA workgroup of health care security directors and external law enforcement representatives. The considerations are organized into four sections—staff and vendor management, patient and visitor management, physical security, and emergency department security—and a fifth section provides links to tools and resources.
Hospitals must strike a balance between providing a compassionate, accessible, and inviting environment while maintaining safety and security for patients, staff, and visitors. While the security standards and regulations of the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services, The Joint Commission, and the New York State Department of Health should serve as the foundation for a security program, GNYHA’s considerations complement and further strengthen facilities’ actions to meet and maintain compliance with those standards. They are also meant to facilitate interdisciplinary conversations among security, human resources, emergency management, and clinical and administrative leadership within facilities and health systems.