December 2014, Morristown, NJ – Atlantic Health System’s security team, and its chief, Alan Robinson, have been recognized by IDG's CSO Magazine for their achievements in keeping the hospital system, its employees, patients and visitors safe.
Atlantic Health System’s Department of Protection and Security Services has received the CSO50 Award for a third consecutive year, in recognition of the health care organization’s security initiatives. The CSO50 award program recognizes 50 security projects and initiatives that have delivered groundbreaking business value through the innovative application of risk and security concepts and technologies.
"For the third year in a row, outstanding organizations demonstrating innovation, creativity and understanding of business value in security were chosen from a large pool of submissions," said Joan Goodchild, editor, CSO. "We congratulate this year's CSO50 winners and applaud them for setting the bar high for security's role in providing value and ROI in business."
The magazine this year recognized Atlantic Health System, one of the largest health care organizations in New Jersey, and parent organization of Morristown, Overlook, Newton and Chilton medical centers and Goryeb Children’s Hospital, for its work in securing nuclear and radiological material in a health care environment.
According to a report published by the Government Accountability Office in 2012, nearly four out of five high-risk hospitals nationwide had failed to implement safeguards to secure radiological material that could be used in a “dirty bomb.”
As a result of these concerns, Atlantic Health System partnered with the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) Global Threat Reduction Initiative (GTRI) Domestic Threat Reduction Program, and Morristown Medical Center’s Radiation Safety Officer, Marissa Hernandez, to better secure the nuclear and radiological material currently stored and used at the medical centers. Through an NNSA grant, Atlantic Health System increased security measures for its radiological material located in its Laboratory which contains a blood irradiator as well as its high dose radiation (HDR) unit that is located at the Carol G. Simon Cancer Center at Morristown Medical Center. This effort included not only installing additional state-of-the-art security technology, but additional training and procedures for staff and law enforcement agencies that work with the organization.
“As an institution that provides the community with the highest level of health care, our approach to security must also involve protecting the community outside our walls,” said Alan Robinson, Atlantic Health System’s director of protection and security services and emergency management. “This includes making sure our resources are protected and used only in the pursuit of healing.”
The magazine also honored Robinson with the 2015 CSO Compass Award. The prestigious honor is bestowed upon a select group of established security executives who demonstrate innovation, achievement and leadership in security, in turn driving business value.
Since 1996, Robinson has been at the helm of Atlantic Health System’s security, overseeing the safety of thousands of patients and visitors each year, as well as the company’s now nearly 13,400 employees. In that time, Robinson has also worked tirelessly outside of Atlantic Health System to educate parents and teachers and to lend his expertise to law enforcement to protect children from abduction and pedophiles.
Since December 1997, Robinson has been the New Jersey representative for Project ALERT (America’s Law Enforcement Retiree Team), a division of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). Project ALERT consists of former law enforcement officials and federal employees who are experienced in abduction or pedophilia cases. He volunteers to speak to parents, teachers and law enforcement officials throughout the state on the topic of child abduction, teaching them how pedophiles and child abductors think and operate, and how to safeguard their children against them. In 2008, he received the FBI Director’s Distinguished Community Leader award for his leadership in this field.
Robinson was named in 2013 to New Jersey’s Domestic Security Preparedness Task Force, a state cabinet-level body responsible for setting homeland security and domestic preparedness policy, and reports directly to the governor. Gov. Chris Christie nominated Robinson for the position and the state Senate confirmed the appointment.
"Each year, CSO's editorial team is tasked with selecting the Compass Award winners from a large pool of excellent applicants. This year's group of recipients truly showcases visionary thinking and progressive leadership in security, as evidenced by their wide variety of accomplishments in the field. We congratulate them on their achievements," Goodchild said.
Atlantic Health System’s security team had previously been recognized by CSO for its initiatives to prevent workplace violence, and its “Red Cell” program, which includes regular, undercover infiltration testing, to create a culture of awareness and preparedness.
Atlantic Health System’s security force oversees approximately 9.5 million square feet throughout all four acute care medical centers, the children’s hospital and about 150 additional facilities. The department has a senior staff with extensive experience in law enforcement, investigation, security, fire safety, regulatory compliance and emergency management.
CSO50 Award and Compass Award honorees will be recognized during a ceremony and awards dinner at the CSO50 Security Confab + Awards Conference, being held February 23 - 25, 2015, at Omni Amelia Island Plantation Resort, Amelia Island, Florida.
About CSO
CSO is the premier content and community resource for security decision-makers leading “business risk management” efforts within their organization. For more than a decade, CSO’s award-winning Web site, executive conferences, strategic marketing services and research have equipped security decision-makers to mitigate both IT and corporate/physical risk for their organizations and provided opportunities for security vendors looking to reach this audience. To assist CSOs in educating their organizations’ employees on corporate and personal security practices, CSO also produces the quarterly newsletter Security Smart. CSO is published by IDG Enterprise, a subsidiary of International Data Group (IDG), the world’s leading media, events and research company. Company information is available. Learn more >
About Atlantic Health System
Atlantic Health System, headquartered in Morristown, New Jersey, is one of the largest non-profit health care systems in New Jersey. It includes Morristown Medical Center in Morristown, NJ; Overlook Medical Center in Summit, NJ; Newton Medical Center in Newton, NJ; Chilton Medical Center in Pompton Plains, NJ; and Goryeb Children’s Hospital in Morristown, NJ, as well as Atlantic Rehabilitation, and Atlantic Home Care and Hospice. It also includes its subsidiary, Atlantic Ambulance Corporation. Atlantic Health System comprises 1,599 licensed beds, nearly 13,400 employees and more than 3,700 physicians. Atlantic Health System is a clinical and academic affiliate of The Mount Sinai Hospital and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; a Major Clinical Affiliate of Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey; part of Atlantic Accountable Care Organization, one of the largest ACOs in the nation, and is a member of AllSpire Health Partners.