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Security Guaranteed

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Security personnel are part and parcel of the Israeli reality. At every public site, they are hard at work, protecting the public. In recent years, violence against medical personnel has increased, worsening the already complicated situation with which hospital security must cope. To quickly and effectively protect threatened medical staff, Rambam Health Care Campus (RHCC) several months ago implemented an advanced security policy. This has made it the first hospital in the world with a security team that operates according to standards institute-level criteria.

Since the attack on New York City’s Twin Towers in 2001, a new standard of security was created by the US, Israeli and British standards institutes with the support of the US Ministry of Defense. This standard was intended to ensure the readiness to respond and cope with an event, and the ability to return as quickly as possible to the routine when the event is over. During this project’s pilot stage, Rambam took part in its development together with another four hospitals in Israel. Today, Rambam is the only one of these hospitals that meets the demands of the standard (24001) regarding security management. “We always strive for excellence,” said Yariv Ben-David, RHCC’s assistant head of security. “Our main goal is to provide a security solution and to improve the service provided to the medical staff during emergencies, and to visitors in general.”

Funding for integrating the standard was provided by the American-Israeli Fund for Cooperation in Science and Technology, and the support of the Rotem Company, a project management firm that has helped Rambam’s Security Unit to establish the standard system. This effort has triggered great interest within the US Ministry of Homeland Security and other security and medical bodies in the USA.

As part of the project, Rambam has created a system of push buttons that can be pressed in emergency situations. Since 2005 a system has enabled users to alert the security team to such emergencies as public disruptions, violence, fire, and departmental collapse. This system is now being expanded to include to all hospital departments and most clinics. Within a few months, some additional 100 push buttons will be set up, and plans for a central control center in the hospital should be completed. This system is designed to respond to every call immediately. Toward that end, Rambam has developed a rapid response routine to be practiced daily.