Safety issues take center stage with employee feedback

Thanks to feedback provided through previous Employee Engagement Surveys, many safety and security initiatives are underway throughout Yale New Haven Health System.

This past year, YNHHS made significant capital investments in items such as surveillance cameras, facility lockdown equipment, infant protection devices and radios; a plan for removing last names from ID badges for employees in designated high-risk areas; and a mass communication system expected to roll out to staff in the coming months.

Funding has been approved for weapons detectors at the main entrances and emergency departments at Greenwich Hospital and the Bridgeport Hospital Milford Campus. In addition, a grant proposal is currently under review for weapons detection programs at Lawrence + Memorial and Yale New Haven hospitals.

Bridgeport Hospital President Anne Diamond, DBA, JD, has led systemwide efforts to address safety priorities identified by staff at each delivery network.

For example, Bridgeport Hospital installed metal detectors to screen patients and visitors. Yale New Haven Hospital has increased security patrols in employee parking areas and along walking routes and installed mobile surveillance units in surface parking lots. In the coming months, Saint Raphael Campus employees will have a new parking garage with badge access and security monitoring.

Safety assessments have also been extended to ambulatory services and home care. More than 500 ambulatory sites were surveyed, with a focus on enhancing the safety and security of buildings and operations. Health at Home has been piloting two programs: panic buttons and staff escorts for homecare visits designated as potentially high-risk situations.

YNHHS’ Workplace Violence Prevention Program also launched initiatives including:

• Educational webinars
• An updated WPV event debrief process 
• A systemwide behavioral rapid response process
• Heightened awareness and use of the Broset Violence Checklist, which helps identify patients with a high propensity for aggression or violence
• The WPV Care Signature Pathway, a step-by-step algorithm to help staff respond to aggressive behavior events
• The Peer Support Network, teams throughout the health system that support colleagues with emotionally challenging events

Employee voices across YNHHS have been instrumental in advancing activities designed to address workplace violence through prevention, effective and safe response and reporting of occurrences.