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Our healthcare system spans 4 million square feet of clinical, research, and office space. Every mechanical system and piece of equipment, every window, door and floor, every light, camera and alarm ... every foot of our facilities is monitored and maintained by a team that mostly goes unnoticed. Until now.

Over the course of the next several months, we’ll be shining a light on the behind-the-scenes efforts of the many groups who are leading the charge to keep us safe and keep our healthcare system running smoothly.

At the helm of this effort is the Safety and Security Subcommittee, which is made up of 26 team members across departments who participate in workgroups that proactively evaluate and address safety, security, and maintenance issues. “These groups include everything from security and hazardous materials to equipment and clinical engineering. They are the subject matter experts for each topic,” says committee Co-Chair Bush Bell, Administrator, Hospitality and Support Services. “Every person has a day job. All of the committee members are investing extra time to keep us safe.” 

The seven workgroups within the Safety and Security Subcommittee include:

• Equipment Management 
• Security
• General Safety/Team Member Injury 
• SAVE (Situational Awareness Violent Event)  
• Utilities
• Emergency Management
• Fire Safety
• Hazardous Materials/Waste
• Patient and Visitor Safety 
• Ongoing Construction Report

According to committee Co-Chair Rebecca Hill, PhD, Director, Patient Safety and Risk Management, it’s time these groups were recognized. “I think much of this work is behind the scenes, and frontline staff might take it for granted to some degree: ‘I expect the lights to be on and I expect the heat to be on.’ Most people aren’t thinking about who's doing that work or making sure that it’s done.”

“We want to create an opportunity for people to learn about the work that we're doing, but also the things that they can do as individual team members and leaders to support the overall objectives within these work groups,” adds Bell.

Stay tuned for the next article in our Safety and Security Spotlight coming soon!