INDIANAPOLIS— A shooting at a Chicago hospital is prompting Indiana hospitals to examine their own security.
IU Health Director of Protective Services Joe Anderson said, after any active shooter situation, the IU Health staff considers whether there is anything they can learn.
Anderson said it’s too soon to say whether they can learn from the Chicago shooting, but he did walk WISH TV through some of the security features already in place.
IU Health’s Academic Health Center, where Anderson works, launched a certified police department with fully-trained IU Health police officers in early 2016.
“If we have someone who is disorderly, we can make that arrest and can move that unsafe person from our premises,” Anderson said.
Some IU Health locations also use metal detectors to try to keep guns away.
Anderson said one of the most important safety aspects is training, and not just for security workers.
“We try to train all staff in how to personalize deescalation training,” Anderson said.
According to Anderson, one goal of deescalation training is to show employees how to identify someone who is beginning to act aggressive and ways to defuse the situation.
“If that behavior continues to escalate, then we have a team-based response that includes our police officers,” Anderson said.
A Community Health spokesperson says their caregivers and security also go through safety training. The health network said they work closely with police. Like IU Health, Community will not share all their security features due to safety concerns.
IU Health did not say whether any of their training focuses specifically on active shooter situations.
(PHOTO: WISH-TV)
