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INOVA Fairfax Hospital
Integrated Infant Security System Requires Early Planning and Communication
Challenge. A recent renovation of the Labor and Delivery Suites at INOVA Fairfax Hospital in Falls Church, VA, motivated the hospital to address its need to create a safe, secure environment for newborns and their families that would protect against the unpleasant threat of infant abduction. INOVA Fairfax Hospital is an 850-bed campus with 206 departments, 5,700 employees and 2,230 staff physicians. The campus includes INOVA Fairfax Hospital, INOVA Fairfax Hospital for Children, and INOVA Heart and Vascular Institute. It is also a major teaching affiliate for the University of Virginia, Georgetown University and George Washington Schools of Medicine.
Solution. Sako & Associates (SAKO) designed and implemented an Integrated Infant Security System that works seamlessly with the hospital’s current security system. For example, when infants are held too close to an exit door, the door automatically locks down and a surveillance camera pops up. Emergency exit doors lock down as well to prevent an abductor from triggering a fire alarm in order to escape through an emergency exit. If a fire actually does break out, the hospital’s security department can use a manual override key to unlock the emergency exits.
Preplanning was the key to this integration. In the design phase, SAKO worked with the hospital’s architect to lay out the floor plans. This collaboration helped ensure that patient care rooms were not located next to any trigger points (i.e. a stairwell), so that a mother walking out of her room with her baby would not inadvertently activate a lockdown or alarm.
The hospital’s elevators were also included in the preplanning and integration. Once the Integrated Infant Security System is activated, an elevator will stop and immediately return to the ground floor where an abductor can be apprehended. Discussing this design in advance with the hospital’s elevator supplier resulted in the supplier’s recommendation for a specific elevator model that would best meet the needs of the new system.
Result. INOVA’s renovated Labor and Delivery Suites provide a safe, secure environment and peace of mind to all patients and their families. Advanced communication between SAKO and the different disciplines involved in this renovation project saved INOVA considerable time and expense. The responsiveness and timely action that SAKO provided INOVA Fairfax Hospital has strengthened their relationship.
