Dependable Real-Time Locating Solution Ensures Patient and Staff Safety at Behavioral Healthcare Facility

Situation
Opened in 2008, the Lasting Hope Recovery Center is a place of healing and hope for those affected by mental illness and co-occurring substance abuse disorders. The 64-bed, public-private center is operated by the Alegent Health Bergan Mercy Medical Center and receives the critical funding for operations from the State of Nebraska. A core goal during the design of this new facility was creating a warm and healing environment, while ensuring patient and staff safety, and therefore allow personnel to better assist patients on their road to recovery. Having a method to automatically route requests for assistance to the appropriate staff in a reliable yet nonintrusive manner was critical. Lasting Hope decided to leverage the latest in technology to protect staff and patients from the risks that come from uncontrolled behavior and allow for immediate intervention. “In an environment like ours, it is not unusual for the personnel to confront patients or their visitors who, due to the substance abuse or emotional instability, are unable to control their behaviors and become dangerous to themselves or others,” explains Dr. Thomas Hickey, Executive Director at the Lasting Hope Recovery Center. “I’ve worked in other healthcare facilities where an overhead paging system was used as their staff duress system. That type of communication was very disruptive not only for the staff, but especially for the recovering patients. It was also ineffective at times because someone had to notice there was a problem to initiate the alert.”

Solution
The choice of the Intelligent InSites Visibility Platform™ was very straightforward as it delivered on all of the Lasting Hope’s patient and staff safety needs. The deployment of the wireless locating and alerting system was also an integral part of the Lasting Hope Recovery Center’s risk management plan, which enforced specific processes and procedures to remain in place to ensure a safe environment. The solution combines leading location-sensing devices and web-based software to deliver the highest level of safety to staff and patients. It provides significant improvements over the noisy and obstructive overhead paging systems of the past and proves its effectiveness as a staff duress system. Now, if staff members feel they are in a dangerous situation, they simply push a button on their lapel, which sends an immediate message with their exact location. The system, which includes configurable rules, sends the alert to those that require notification, and, if necessary, automatically escalates the alert until help is delivered. This way only those that need to know about the issue are being informed, allowing unaffected patients and staff to continue their daily routines without any interruptions, and maintaining a calmer environment. In addition to staff and patient safety, the InSites solution can be utilized for a variety of other purposes as well, including staff communication, asset and inventory management, reporting and analytics, or task coordination and documentation. The system can be integrated with the existing clinical software, enabling staff to immediately access a patient’s information or history through a web browser or mobile devices.

Benefits
The primary benefit the Lasting Hope Recovery Center experienced while using the Intelligent InSites platform is a confidence that the safety mechanisms are in place if any critical situation occurs. “The InSites solution provides the best method for healthcare providers to quickly and effectively respond to alerts which ensures safety of our staff and patients. Our staff feels more secure as they care for patients, because they know that if they need help, staff responders will be notified immediately,” explains Dr. Hickey. According to Dr. Hickey, the InSites solution is also an indispensible recruiting tool, as it helps to attest how serious the management of the Lasting Hope Recovery Center is about personnel’s safety. “Our staff appreciates that we provide a work environment in which they can do their job in a safe manner. That gives newly hired employees who otherwise would be a little bit anxious, a comfort level they need,” adds Dr. Hickey. Additionally, thanks to this advanced system, the facility was able to avoid the noise and obtrusiveness that often comes with other duress systems. The InSites solution allows Lasting Hope Recovery Center to create a safe and caring environment, reaching a key goal of their patients, their families, staff, and donors. “We cannot even imagine operating without a real-time location system,” points out Dr. Hickey. “The benefits of the InSites solution are enormous and it is definitely a great investment,” Dr. Hickey concluded.