Disaster recovery steps may require a security aspect to them

There’s been a lot of flooding in the Northeast, and no doubt some hospitals there are suffering through water damage and related facilities issues. In many ways, because flooding can occur quickly in a building’s low points, such incidents become an exercise in recovery steps.

During the 4th Annual Hospital Safety Center Symposium May 6-7, emergency management expert Joe Cappiello, chair of Cappiello & Associates in Elmhurst, IL, will speak about business recovery strategies following a disaster.

A key point Cappiello will discuss is a greater need for security during not only hospital recovery efforts, but community-wide recovery following a widespread catastrophe. In such cases, the facility may be more vulnerable to theft and other inappropriate behavior by patients and visitors.

If you find scared or displaced members of the public coming to your hospital, take a close look at access control into either unsafe or security-sensitive areas of the building.

Recovery efforts should also address the need to identify everyone who seeks entry into the hospital, Cappiello says.

There’s a lot more about recovery that Cappiello will discuss, so I hope all of you join us for the Hospital Safety Center Symposium either in person in Las Vegas or virtually from your office.