Carolyn Smith

Leading Tennessee-based security firm helps TN Non-Profit Health Facility Keep Patients Safe & Secure North Central Security Services (NCSS), a leading provider of security and monitoring services, is pleased to announce that it has been selected as the security company providing access control technology for HOPE Family Health, a non-profit delivering quality and affordable medical and mental healthcare to Tennessee residents who are either uninsured or in vulnerable populations.  The biggest challenge facing the facility was securing the patient’s medical records and controlling access to restricted areas where dangerous medications were stored without having the proper financial resources in place.  After a recent security breach affecting over 8000 patients’ private health information, HOPE realised it was time to reach out to the local community for help in securing the premises and to not give up hope on finding the right company to help them with this serious security situation. NCSS was awarded this project based on HOPE's close and extensive relationship with its sister company, North Central Telephone Cooperative (NCTC) who manages the organisation’s cloud communications. After meeting with NCSS CEO Carolyn Smith—who believed strongly in putting the security and safety of HOPE’s staff and patients first before worrying about how to pay for it—the question of who to hire for the access control installation became clear. “NCSS is proud to be working with HOPE and believes strongly in helping our community,” states Carolyn Smith, NCSS’s CEO.  “We are happy to see that through the reallocation of resources, a special grant has been given to HOPE which helped us to secure access to locations throughout the facility where valuable assets can be managed and audited on an as-needed basis, including the sensitive and federally protected, private health information of more than 10,000 of HOPE's patients.” As HOPE continues to grow and expand to multiple locations, it was crucial to have NCSS on board to help spearhead the security initiative. Plans for the future include developing an on-site pharmaceutical service, creating an environment where sensitive and sometimes dangerous medications could be stored in a controlled atmosphere where access needs to be audited. HOPE recently expanded its scope of practice and services to include behavioral health, a move that brings with it certain concerns for patient and staff safety in the event of a mental health emergency. “As we continue to grow and expand, I feel confident knowing that the team at NCSS has both the technology and expertise to address any new security challenges that we may face in our future. With federal fines exceeding millions of dollars for even an accidental breach of patient information, the confidence I have placed in the team at NCSS is not something I give lightly. I only find it to be ironic and a blessing that they happen to be located right down the road, just in the heart of the community where we are passionate about delivering quality and affordable medical and mental healthcare,” states Joey Forman, HOPE’s Chief Compliance, Development & Information Officer.

It was extremely important to the owners at Loftis to track employees entering and exiting the premises North Central Security Services (NCSS), a leading provider of security and monitoring services, is pleased to announce that it has been chosen as the security company for Loftis Underground, a full-service excavation, cabling/boring company and Macon Pride Car Wash, a local car wash facility that serves Tennessee residents. Both commercial sites are high profile facilities requiring the latest security technology in order to keep its customers and employees safe and secure. NCSS was awarded both security projects based on its stellar reputation in the residential and commercial space and for its commitment to excellence. Loftis Underground was in the process of expanding its main building and wanted to upgrade their current security system so management could view their facility remotely from any job site. Loftis Underground has a long-standing history of providing services to city, county, and state utilities, commercial/ industrial companies, and individual homeowners which results in the management team being offsite majority of the time. “It was crucial for us to be able to have remote view access of our facility 24/7 to help track our employees and control the on-site gas pump.”, states Melissa Loftis, Co-owner of the Loftis Group. “NCSS understood our security needs and made sure we had the right security solutions installed at our site to give us peace of mind at all times.” NCSS installed a monitored alarm system that communicates with a POTS line as well as a cellular back-up panel to ensure all their monitoring needs were met.  In addition, a digital video recording system was installed that consisted of a 16-channel DVR and 10 IP video cameras along with all the components to make the system functional.  It was extremely important to the owners at Loftis to track employees entering and exiting the premises. An access control system was installed on the gates with ID Badges issued to all employees to help keep track of employee work hours. As an added precaution, Maglocks where installed on the exterior doors to help limit who could gain entry to certain areas of the facility. This helped the owners solve the problem of controlling who has access to certain areas of the business. Similar to Loftis Underground, the Macon Pride Car Wash had similar issues and wanted to have the ability to view the car wash remotely. NCSS installed 12 IP video cameras with remote view capabilities that monitored the money changers, self car wash, and the grounds around the car wash. “NCSS gave me the ability to know my business is running smoothly from the road,” states Scotty Keene, Macon’s owner. “We are happy that NCSS could guide local businesses through the security process and provide the best fit for their specific security requirements.” states Carolyn Smith, NCSS’s President. “We look forward to working with more businesses in the local area and helping them achieve their security goals.”