December 2015, Morristown, NJ – Atlantic Health System’s security team has been recognized by IDG's CSO Magazine for its achievements in keeping the hospital system, its employees, patients and visitors safe.
Atlantic Health System, one of the largest health care organizations in New Jersey, and parent organization of Morristown, Overlook, Newton and Chilton Medical Centers as well as Goryeb Children’s Hospital and Atlantic Rehabilitation, was the only New Jersey hospital system to receive an award. The magazine this year recognized Atlantic Health System for implementing a computerized approach to tracking, analyzing and sharing information on security risks.
This is the fourth consecutive year that Atlantic Health System’s Department of Protection and Security Services has received the CSO50 Award in recognition of the health care organization’s security initiatives. Atlantic Health System was named to the list along with several nationally-recognized companies such as Aflac, SAP and MasterCard, as well as organizations such as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the United States Postal Service and the United Nations Development Programme.
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.
By adapting the COMSTAT, or Computerized Statistics, system used by the NYPD, Atlantic Health System’s security team created the Situational Awareness, or SitStat system to address various issues including workplace violence, thefts, safety issues, emergency preparedness and homeland security threats.
SitStat operates on a robust amount of information, including statistics as well as anecdotal information, from both within and outside Atlantic Health System. This includes incident reports generated by hospital security officers which can be tracked, analyzed and shared throughout the hospital system. By allowing security officers to submit these reports electronically at the time of the incident, critical issues are able to be quickly evaluated and analyzed, and threats and intelligence are immediately communicated in order to coordinate resources and responses.
The security team’s analysis also includes information from numerous external partners, including emergency management officials from Morris, Union and Sussex County, local law enforcement, FBI, NYPD, the National Weather Service, the New Jersey Department of Health, the NJ Hospital Association, and other organizations.
SitStat meetings are held each week to review the activity and trend reports, investigations, critical incidents, high-profile and high-risk events, cyber threats, HIPAA threats, emergency preparedness planning including emerging infectious diseases (Flu, Ebola) and predictive analytics to assist in responding, preventing, mitigating incidents and recovering property.
This system has not only allowed Atlantic Health System’s security team to coordinate security on its campuses, but also ensure security for its staff who provide services throughout the communities served by the organization.
“As the delivery of health care continues to focus more on empowering our communities to be healthier, the responsibility of ensuring safety will also go beyond our doors,” said Alan Robinson director, chief security officer, protection and security services and emergency management. “The SitStat system allows us to quickly process a more comprehensive amount of information and make informed decisions about how to coordinate safety and security on and off our campuses.”
Atlantic Health System’s security team had previously been recognized by CSO for its work in securing nuclear and radiological material in a health care environment, as well as 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, a trauma center and about 350 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 honorees will be recognized during a ceremony and awards dinner at the CSO50 Security Confab + Awards Conference, being held April 18-20, 2016 at Wigwam Resort in Litchfield Park, Arizona.
"Security professionals know that securing an organization is about much more than mere defense today; it's also about enabling business and driving ROI," said Joan Goodchild, editor in chief, CSO. "Our annual CSO50 Awards recognize the innovation, creativity and business acumen that goes into creating outstanding security projects. We congratulate each of our winners for their accomplishments in creating projects that not only demonstrate state-of-the-art security, but exemplary business value as well."
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. Atlantic Health System has created a Trusted Network of Caring™. Our promise to our communities is that anyone who enters our system will receive the right care, at the right quality, at the right time, at the right place and at the right cost. Our network 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, more than 14,000 employees and more than 4,000 physicians. Atlantic Health System has a medical school affiliation with the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University; 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.
Learn more about our Trusted Network of Caring™ at Atlantic Health System >