CoxHealth Deploys New Body Worn Camera Solution to Increase Patient, Visitor, and Staff Safety

The Axis Communications solution offers crucial functionality and user-friendly features for the Missouri healthcare system

CoxHealth, the area leader in healthcare and community involvement in southwest Missouri, has upgraded its public safety and security officers’ body worn cameras with a new state-of-the-art solution, increasing overall patient, visitor, and medical staff safety. The open architecture-based solution easily integrated with CoxHealth’s existing video management system (VMS) and it provides the scalability necessary to meet the present and future needs of the organization and its numerous SW Missouri locations.

“There have always been incidents and threats of patient-generated violence in healthcare, but recent years have seen an escalation in the level of violence and aggression associated with patient incidents”

“There have always been incidents and threats of patient-generated violence in healthcare, but recent years have seen an escalation in the level of violence and aggression associated with patient incidents,” said Alan Butler, system director of public safety and security at CoxHealth. “The deployment and upgrade of body worn cameras has helped to deter incidents and reduce the number of false claims of officer misconduct, offering a clearer picture of every interaction, and has resulted overall in better behavior of guests, patients, and families.”

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While body worn cameras act as a safety tool, they have also proved vital to improving officer training methods, and in the case of CoxHealth have helped training programs emphasize de-escalation tactics. For example, body worn camera footage of an incident on a medical campus can be reviewed internally, and new ways to approach a situation can be developed more effectively. This enables the organization to better train its officers, providing them with the proper tools to better manage intense and potentially violent situations.

Another instance where body worn cameras have been particularly useful for de-escalation and preventing patient incidents is in COVID-19 screening scenarios. With the onset of the pandemic, CoxHealth frequently deals with visitors and patients who are angry about COVID-19 restrictions. These interactions occur at entry portals, where hospital staff are tasked with screening individuals. Body worn cameras and captured footage have been valuable in de-escalating tense interactions, helping healthcare staff be more effective, and serving as training materials.

In addition to improved security functions, the healthcare organization emphasized the need for a more user-friendly solution, and with this new upgrade, officers are issued a key fob containing an RFID tag which, when swiped, configures a specific camera with that officer’s information for the duration of their shift. At the end of each shift, the camera is placed back in a charger and automatically downloads all recordings to a video management system. This feature allows for ease-of-use, and for cameras to be shared seamlessly across work shifts, regardless of user.

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CoxHealth has outfitted its team of more than 60 public safety and security officers with body worn cameras for over three years, however, the organization felt the older equipment was fragile, lacked sufficient video quality, and important user-friendly features. When CoxHealth began its search for an upgraded solution, they turned to NetWatch Inc., an integrated security solutions provider located in Nixa, Missouri, who was able to assist the organization in selecting Axis Communications cameras as its upgraded solution.

“The support we received during the implementation of our body worn camera upgrade has been outstanding,” said Butler. “The cameras are durable and easy to use for our officers, and the quality of the video and audio has been exceptional, allowing us to provide our security staff with the proper tools and training to ensure patient, visitor, and staff safety in all situations.”

“Body worn cameras offer tremendous value to medical environments, both in de-escalation and by offering a more robust training toolkit,” said Paul Baratta, segment development manager, healthcare for Axis Communications. “At high-volume facilities such as CoxHealth, a comprehensive body worn solution can make all the difference in mitigating the risk of violence against healthcare staff and ensuring safety for all parties.”

Attendees at the ISC West event in Las Vegas are invited to attend a presentation of this customer success story on March 23 at 10:30 a.m. in Venetian 102, Level 1. The session entitled, Body Worn Cameras’ Vital Role in Workplace Violence Prevention, will be co-presented by Alan Butler of CoxHealth as well as Paul Baratta and Steve Jussaume of Axis Communications. Attendance is free with an Expo or Conference pass.

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