Healthcare security

Security officers in healthcare environments protect patients, staff, visitors, and property, while supporting clinical operations. Their role includes proactive risk management, controlled access enforcement, and rapid emergency response. Officers monitor entrances, enforce visitor policies, and secure restricted areas such as ICUs, surgical suites, and pharmacies. They respond to disturbances, de-escalate conflicts, and assist clinical teams during high-risk situations, including behavioral health crises and emergency department incidents. Through vigilance, strong communication, and regulatory compliance, security officers help maintain a safe, welcoming environment that supports quality care and operational continuity. 

Healthcare security involves regulatory requirements such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) standards that don’t apply the same way at a typical business. We back our healthcare programs with International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety (IAHSS)-certified experts and put officers through our dedicated Healthcare Academy, so they learn to balance vigilance with empathy in a way that fits a care environment.

A healthcare security risk assessment enables leadership to make data-driven decisions that help protect patients, staff, and visitors, while allocating limited resources where they deliver the greatest operational and financial return. We analyze workflows, protocols, and existing safeguards to identify operational vulnerabilities and regulatory exposure. The result is a prioritized roadmap that supports Joint Commission standards, strengthens incident documentation and drill readiness, and optimizes staffing while balancing officer presence with technology.  

Securitas officers assigned to healthcare environments complete specialized training through our dedicated Healthcare Academy. Coursework includes HIPAA and EMTALA compliance, OSHA safety standards, Sentinel Event awareness, HCAHPS impact, customer service techniques, wayfinding support, elopement response protocols, and infection prevention practices such as the Five Moments of Hand Hygiene and biological hazard protection.

This training prepares officers to work safely within clinical settings - balancing security with a welcoming, patient-centered approach - support regulatory compliance, and contribute positively to the overall care experience.

Officers work to de-escalate the situation, secure the area, and coordinate with hospital staff and, when needed, local law enforcement. We train them in behavioral risk recognition and calm, non-threatening intervention techniques for exactly these situations, in line with local laws and hospital policies.

Our specialized healthcare security planning model combines local execution with national healthcare expertise. Local management teams are supported by a dedicated team comprised of certified healthcare protection administrators (CHPAs) through the International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety (IAHSS). This team provides program design guidance, risk assessments, specialized officer training, and subject matter expertise on healthcare security best practices. This structure helps ensure each healthcare security program aligns with regulatory standards, reflects industry-leading practices, and is tailored to your facility.

Across all sensitive areas, we prioritize vigilance, empathy, regulatory compliance, and detailed documentation to ensure safety while protecting dignity and continuity of care. 

In the emergency department, we deploy officers trained in high-acuity response, de-escalation, and rapid coordination with medical teams. Officers maintain visible coverage of key access points, monitor for behavioral changes, and support rapid response without disrupting care. Continuous communication with clinical staff helps ensure security support treatment plans, particularly during trauma events, substance-related incidents, or emotionally charged situations. 

In behavioral health areas, our focus is prevention and stabilization. Officers are trained to recognize early warning signs of agitation or self-harm risk, apply non-threatening communication techniques, and preserve a calm enviroment. They support observation protocols, secure potentially hazardous items, and escalate concerns immediately to clinical leadership when risk increases. 

For maternity and pediatric units, we implement strict access control measures, ID verification, and surveillance monitoring. Officers are trained in infant abduction prevention protocols and execute immediate lockdown and coordination procedures in the event of an alert.

Nurturing a positive relationship with local law enforcement is critical to the success of our healthcare security services. We work closely with local law enforcement agencies for various critical initiatives, including workplace violence awareness, emergency response time, active shooter educational training, anti-terrorism awareness, and bomb threat training. This collaboration helps ensure that we're well-prepared to handle a wide range of security challenges and emergencies effectively.

Working with a specialized healthcare security partner provides you with access to national expertise, standardized training, regulatory insight, and scalable resources that can be difficult to sustain internally.  
 
For large hospitals or health systems that employ proprietary security teams, partnering with security experts can expand your coverage, reduce administrative burden, and elevate your overall program performance. We offer flexible hospital security services and engagement structures, including hybrid models that complement your existing security teams. For example, Securitas can manage patrol, lobby, and access control functions while internal staff focus on clinical-facing or specialized roles, creating a coordinated, risk-aligned security program that strengthens both efficiency and effectiveness.

A good starting point is a risk assessment of what's already in place, rather than assuming a full replacement. We can take on patrol, lobby, and access control functions while your existing team continues handling clinical-facing roles, so the two can work together instead of one fully replacing the other.

Smaller clinics and medical offices can get security programs tailored to their needs, similar in quality to those at larger hospitals. We design healthcare security programs for hospitals, clinics, long-term care centers, and medical office buildings, each with its own risk, compliance, and regulatory needs.

This depends on your facility and isn't something we standardize across each site. We train officers in de-escalation and crisis intervention as the primary approach, and your account team can confirm what's right for your specific location.

Weapons detection screening is one of the access control duties officers can handle alongside ID verification, visitor logging, and badge policies. It's all part of managing a real challenge for many hospitals: staying open to patients, families, and clinical teams, without leaving gaps that openness can create.

We train officers to stay in continuous contact with hospital staff and clinical leadership throughout an event, rather than acting on their own. Where available, officers also complete active shooter training alongside local law enforcement, so response stays coordinated between security, hospital staff, and outside responders.