Konica Minolta: Behavioural health facility provides a more secure environment

A behavioural health provider specialises in 24/7 care to treat substance use disorders with behavioural and primary healthcare services. They are a large not-for-profit, community-based adult detoxification, residential and outpatient substance use facility in Chicago, serving over 10,000 people annually.

The provider had budgeted for security improvements and wanted better oversight of not only their main facility but also their building across the street. They were looking to replace the video security system they already had in place.

Challenges

Since the facility is open 24/7 with patients living onsite, there are always security challenges to face such as drugs being taken from the nurses’ stations, fire hazards caused by smoking in the stairwells and unauthorised gate access to the back alley where a variety of unapproved activities were taking place. Furthermore, both haphazard residents and visitors were damaging cars in the parking lots.

The facility director wanted to stop illegal drugs and contraband from entering the facility

The facility director wanted to stop illegal drugs and contraband from entering the facility. For liability reasons, having the ability to capture high-quality video evidence to forward to the local police was essential. She also wanted to eliminate loitering issues at the nursing areas and other off-limits areas, and monitor other areas prone to drug use, fighting, and smoking.

Solution

The Konica Minolta team was acquainted with the director of the facility. After learning more about the security concerns, the team led some preliminary discussions on the latest video security solutions such as cameras, VMS and Secure Entry. Scott Browne, Video Solution Services Executive, was then brought in to handle the recommendations for cameras, camera placement, information around the platform and video analytics.

Throughout the study, the team placed which cameras or cables (old coaxial to Cat6) ought to be replaced

Scott was able to map the area and identify gaps in coverage that needed increased monitoring to meet the oversight needs of the facility team. He described the value of the Secure Entry solution which proposed employee alerts when doors were opened and parking lot surveillance to better address the incidents of cars being hit. Throughout the assessment, the team identified which cameras or cables (old coaxial to Cat6) needed to be replaced, and the value of moving to the cloud for the VMS. The final review of the full map system was reviewed and tweaked with the facility team to ensure their coverage needs were being met.

Outcome

The facility purchased 215 cameras with a Cloud VMS. They loved the cloud option, but initially believed that they could not afford it. They were happy to learn that their notion of “expensive” was incorrect. They were also pleased that they would not have to maintain the environment and deal with maintenance costs/issues. Their plan employed a mix of MOBOTIX MOVE Dome (e.g., for stairwells), 5 mg pixel Bullet cameras and the MOBOTIX D16 for the exterior and parking areas as the D16 offers a 180-degree view and works well in harsh environments. The facility team is able to access the VMS through mobile tablets and phones so they can easily monitor the camera images/facility activity. They decided to hold on to the Secure Entry door access programme and will readdress these needs at a later date.

Overall, with the new set-up the facility team can maintain compliance to mandated video security for their buildings while better monitoring attempted loitering and breaches in restricted areas as well as activity in stairwells, hallways and the back alley. The clients and staff are now in a more secure environment with this expanded video security oversight.