PORT ANGELES — Olympic Medical Center has embarked on a five-year plan to improve the safety and security of patients, staff and visitors.

“Our goal is to make OMC the safest hospital, not just in Washington,” Chief Operating Officer Ryan Combs told the board last Wednesday.

The need to increase protections at OMC is a reflection of an uptick in violence in hospitals locally and nationwide, said Julie Black, OMC’s director of support services.

“Our landscape has changed dramatically in the last five to 10 years here in Clallam County and in the world of hospital security,” Black said.

“We’ve had an increase of threats, we’ve had an increase in combative individuals, we’ve had an increase of homelessness. Our security goal is to make sure our staff go home every night to their families and that our patients and visitors are safe.”

In 2023, there were five assaults — three of which were prosecuted — and 144 incidents of a violent or combative person at OMC that required the intervention of security personnel. This year there already have been five assaults and 85 violent incidents.

A security assessment of OMC properties conducted by Navigate360 in August and September 2023 identified safety vulnerabilities and recommendations for fixing them.

OMC wasn’t in a bad place when it came to its safety and security protocols, said Logan Smith, manager of support services.

Nonetheless, he said, “There are things that we need to do to improve and go forward.”

OMC currently is putting into place upgrades to its IT infrastructure and security management systems, ensuring every building has just one point of entry and implementing a body-worn camera program.

Controlling access to buildings by replacing all key and push button locking systems with card readers will not only help ensure only authorized personnel enter, but they can be located quickly as well.

“There are hundreds of people in and out of here every day,” Smith said. “We’ll be able to know who’s here and where they are in an emergency.”

A new visitor management system will allow OMC to better monitor who enters the hospital, whom he or she is visiting and for how long. An AI-power system to detect weapons and parts of weapons that are made out of just about any material — such as plastic — will be installed in the lobby.

Within a couple of weeks, OMC security personnel will be outfitted with body cameras. Smith said the cameras would be turned on 24/7, but only engaged when a person is behaving in a manner not consistent with OMC policy.

Board member Phyllis Bernard said she was concerned about the use of body cameras in situations that could be interpreted differently by security and the subject.

“From the perspective of the patient or family member of the patient, the response that they’re getting from our security may seem to be racist,” Bernard said. “Whereas from the perspective of our security person, they’re just being very professional.”

Smith said security personnel had been undergoing rigorous training and footage would be regularly reviewed by the security staff team to ensure personnel is using the equipment appropriately.

The board also unanimously approved a resolution to support the Port Angeles School District bond and educational programs and operations levy.

________

Reporter Paula Hunt can be reached by email at paula.hunt@peninsuladailynews.com.