Keeping off-site employees safe.

To help a hospital's home healthcare nurses better protect themselves against violence, the authors developed a training program that gave employees information on what to look for, what to do in an emergency and provided them with other policies and procedures to follow. In the article, they describe the use of role playing exercises and scenario-based instruction that allowed better retention on examinations, and also influenced the employees' attitude toward training positively.

Security management internship program: a great recruiting tool for your company.

A well thought out and managed internship program is easily a "win-win" situation, according to the authors, who established such a program for the security department of their hospital. The program benefits not only the students with gaining practical experience of the business environment, but also the colleges/universities in coordinating internship opportunities for its students and business organizations in a number of ways including the possible identification of potential young career candidates to augment their current workforces. The article is based on the authors' presentation at the ASIS International Annual Seminar in September 2012.

Staffing by the numbers: a statistical approach to staffing justication.

The article describes how a hospital's Protective Services Division, working closely with Human Resources, developed several recommendations to alter the current security coverage without sacrificing employee safety in order to minimize the use of overtime dollars. With a security department competing with many other divisions for the same dollar resources, organizations will not be willing in a tight market to support a department that does not demonstrate fiscal responsibility, according to the authors. Additionally, they state, security initiatives must be aligned with the strategic initiatives of the organization in order to be funded by senior leaders.

Diversity in action; dealing with a transgender issue.

The problem of gays in the military, police, and security has received considerable publicity in recent years, but what happens when a male security officer, with an excellent performance record, decides to announce a gender change? How a hospital's security and resources departments handled the transition, and what transpired afterwards, is described in this detailed and frank article.

Customer service for security staff the "CARES" way.

When a medical center establishes an institution-wide customer service strategy, how does its Protective Services Department develop a department-specific program which links to the umbrella program. The authors spell out the philosophy, elements and employee interactions of their department's customer service training program.

The dangers of home health.

Home health nurses can encounter dangerous situations in the field that are not faced in a hospital setting. This article describes a joint program by a medical center's security and home health departments to train and safeguard home health providers.

Better safe than sorry: one agency's successful safety and security strategies.

The Home Healthcare and Protective Services Departments of Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) pooled their expertise to develop a comprehensive safety and security program for the visiting clinical staff. This article describes the program, various training sessions and modules, and the escort program provided by the Protective Services officers.