Safe and patient-centered care is a top priority at CHoR – and every team member is involved. While our security team isn’t making clinical decisions, they have a big role in making sure patients and families get the care they need, especially at our Children’s Pavilion.

Here for you – from dawn to dusk

The security guards are the first ones to arrive in the morning and the last ones to leave each evening. They unlock the doors, open the parking gates in time for patients to arrive for early surgeries and prepare the building for the day’s activities. Fittingly, they’re the first smiling faces most patients, visitors and team members see when they get to the building too.

If you pull into the Children’s Pavilion parking deck, you’ll meet one of our security guards. They monitor the deck to make sure everyone entering has an appointment or other relevant business at CHoR. This is how we make sure you’ll have a place to park when you arrive.

Once you enter the building, the first person to greet you will likely be – you guessed it – a security guard! They’ll ask if you know where you’re going and provide directions as needed. Sometimes these team members even walk with patients and visitors if they need a little extra help. 

“First impression is key. I always encourage my team to put themselves in the patients’ shoes. People don’t typically come to the hospital because they prefer to be here. They may be having a hard day and we’re here to help them through the unknown,” said Lloyd Woods, president of LEW & Associates, Inc., which has been providing security services at our Children’s Pavilion since the building opened in 2016. “Families know they’re going to get excellent clinical care at CHoR, but they also want a friendly face to help them get there.”

When patients come via ambulance, the EMS providers page security and a team member meets them at the door and escorts them to their appointment. 

In addition to helping patients get to their appointments safely and with minimal frustration – security guards help ensure safety in the gift shop and pharmacy on the ground level. They also respond to and manage any emergency situations that may come up until police arrive.
When patient appointments run late, or special events take place on evenings and weekends, security is here to make sure everyone is safe and where they need to be. When activities are done, they scan the building, lock up and head home until the next morning.

This was all before COVID.

Security’s essential role in pandemic safety

Health care didn’t stop for the pandemic and neither did our security team. In fact, their role in the safety of patients, families, visitors and team members took on a whole new dimension. As the first point of contact for people arriving on-site, they assumed the responsibility of conducting COVID screenings at the parking entrance and inside the building. This has involved ensuring that specific protocols are followed to help keep the virus under control. They ensure everyone who enters the building has a mask and passes the quick and painless temperature check. Sometimes it has even meant turning people away. It hasn’t always been easy – but it’s been critical.

“When the pandemic began, I talked with the team about upcoming changes, modifications to their responsibilities and their own concerns about COVID. They’ve faced a lot of changes and accepted them with patience. They’ve done an excellent job. My hat’s off to them,” added Mr. Woods.
Mr. Woods also emphasizes the outstanding support his team receives from administration and all their colleagues at CHoR.
From helping patients get to their appointments, to curbing the spread of the coronavirus, we thank our security team – at the Children’s Pavilion and across all locations – for making sure safety comes first at CHoR.

Find out more about our quality and safety initiatives.