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Hospital Security Measures Suggested By Jessica Keating 7/1/05 |
Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton is far from unsafe, but the county hospital could stand some security improvements, such as CCTV Security Cameras, the Grand Jury announced Friday.
In its annual report, the San Bernardino County panel recommended replacing the hospital's security cameras, installing lighted public call boxes and training security personnel to handle "difficult," or violent, visitors and patients.
Robert Burkhardt, Jury Foreman, said the panel's 23 recommendations are intended to highlight areas where security could be tightened. The hospital is not a dangerous environment, he said.
"If they do what we're recommending, it makes everything all that much better,' he added.
Hospital officials said they welcomed the panel's suggestions, part of the grand jury's larger, yearlong examination into county agencies. The hospital recommendations came on the heels of a Grand Jury visit to Arrowhead Regional.
Hospital officials say they've already begun implementing some security improvements, chief among them the addition of a full-time Colton police officer on site.
The county is paying the city more than $700,000 for four full-time police officers, a part-time sergeant and equipment. The officers began rotating shifts on Friday to keep a police presence at the hospital at all times, Chief Kenneth Rulon said.
Jorge Valencia, a hospital spokesman, said the police backup is not a response to problems with Arrowhead Regional's security staff. Round-the-clock police presence, however, is expected to help further deter criminal or unsafe behavior.
Valencia said the hospital has addressed many of the Grand Jury's concerns, including installing metal detectors at all public entrances, fencing off employee parking areas and training security personnel on dealing with public threats.
In its report, the Grand Jury also noted the hospital has 97 security cameras but that images on the 10 monitors are fuzzy, making it difficult to distinguish a person's sex or race.
Heine said the hospital plans to look into improving its security cameras and monitors, but noted that security guards make personal contact with visitors when they sign in at public entrances.
Camera and monitor improvements are a costly proposition, Heine said, that will need to be worked into the hospital's budgeting process. Source:
www.sbsun.com
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