New Hospital Protects Patient and Employee Safety with Advanced Narcotics Security

By Julie Brown, Global Director of Business Transformation – Services, Johnson Controls

When a top East Coast university was building its state-of-the-art hospital, its leaders knew to get ahead of potential security issues. The minds behind the $3.5 billion construction project ensured the building would be fully integrated with smart, centralized infrastructure technologies, including a web of connected security solutions.

In light of the opioid epidemic causing a heightened, dangerous demand for narcotics, security around the storage and distribution of narcotic drugs had to be airtight. As a major medical treatment facility, the hospital distributes large amounts of narcotics every day, so facility leaders knew they would need a powerful solution to safeguard medical resources, uphold compliance with state and federal laws around narcotics, and protect employee safety.

Comprehensive security systems to deter internal and external threats

The large-scale distribution of narcotics could make the hospital a target for drug traffickers or opioid-dependent patients. When implementing the security system, Johnson Controls had to eliminate potential internal and external threats while creating an environment where employees felt safe.

From the beginning to the end of their journey, all medications were kept secure under the watch of Johnson Controls security via SALTO locker locks. From there, dozens of online and offline access readers were put in place to require check-in every day, ensuring accurate permissions and authentication.

Johnson Controls installed intruder detection technology to identify unwanted and potentially dangerous visitors, allowing security personnel to respond quickly and proactively. From there, the company installed 150 Commend intercom devices across the hospital facility. This allows facility administrators and security detail to communicate effectively, improve customer experience, and notify others of danger instantaneously throughout the sprawling hospital complex.

To limit pharmacists’ interactions with patients, who might be contagious or agitated, Johnson Controls installed thousands of medical locker locks, all integrated with hospital’s access control system. The access control functionality ensures that the medication lands in the correct attending physician’s hands and is administered to the correct patient, all in a timely manner.

Savings and impact

With the implementation of these solutions, Johnson Controls helped the hospital save approximately $1 million. Additionally, by stopping the medication from being non-medically administered, the hospital and Johnson Controls mitigated unsupervised narcotics consumption and overdose.

By working closely with both the corporate minds and the design engineers behind the project, Johnson Controls was able to meet the university hospital’s needs and expectations, all under a compressed timeline. As a result, the hospital benefited from enormous savings, ensured narcotics delivery compliance, secured valuable resources, and can keep employees safe.

Visit our website to learn more about Johnson Controls tailored healthcare security solutions.