In the wake of a stabbing at Windsor Regional Hospital earlier this year, and a fatal double shooting at a hospital in Cobourg last month, Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare is putting its security efforts into overdrive.
"It's a reminder that the risk exists everywhere in the community and if you are a location where there are tens of thousands of visitors and employees, it has to be addressed," says Vice-President of External Affairs Bill Marra.
Since hospital reorganization four years ago, the hospital has been steadily improving security around its sprawling campus by installing video cameras and lighting. However, starting next year, Marra says it could also implement a new lockdown procedure.
It will mean new training for the hundreds of staff, students, and volunteers at Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare.
"They're going to be trained so that when an alert is issued, everyone will be aware of what the alert is all about and what actions or steps need to be taken," says Marra.
He says the hospital holds monthly training sessions anyway, so he does not anticipate any additional costs for training.
What will cost extra, is additional cameras throughout the hospital, and the implementation of the security alert system.
"Not only do we want to be safe within the buildings, but we want to be sure that if anyone is anywhere on the 33-acre campus that there are provisions available to issue alerts," Marra says. "So, we're looking at personal alarm systems. We're looking at real-time alert systems through smartphones."
A business plan for the new security measures was introduced to the hospital's board of directors this week.
