Athena Security has announced that Franciscan Health Olympia Fields hospital in Chicago’s South Suburbs is improving its protection of staff and patients from outside threats with its weapons detection platform.
“As a healthcare staff, we know all too well the violence that happens in our place of work,” said Agnes Therady, PhD, Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer for Franciscan Alliance.
“We can all give a collective sigh of relief that Athena Security is always on, always looking out to keep us protected while we care for our beloved community.”
Raymond A. Martinez, Director of Public Safety and Security at Franciscan Health Olympia Fields, said the system effectively detects various types and levels of threats on a regular basis that could not otherwise be detected by security officers alone.
“It was clear that Athena Security’s no-frills approach could immediately fortify our campus,” said Martinez.
“Our staff is excited to deploy more of Athena’s solutions throughout the campus.”
“Athena Security is very pleased to ensure the safety of patients and staff at Franciscan Health Olympia Fields with the addition of our AI weapons detection platform to support security operations and processes,” said Michael Green, Athena Security CEO.
“Alerting security staff to firearms, knives and tasers, as well as non-cooperative visitors, the Athena Security system can allow cell phones and car keys to pass, decreasing the number of people detained for further inspection.”
Headquartered in Mishawaka, Indiana, Franciscan Alliance is one of the largest Catholic healthcare systems in the Midwest with 12 hospital campuses in Indiana and Illinois.
Including Franciscan Health Olympia Fields, the system has more than 19,000 employees.
Martinez said Franciscan Alliance is considering the adoption of the system at other locations after the successful deployment at the Olympia Fields campus.
Once comprehensive risk assessments are conducted and other key statistical data is reviewed, strategies will be examined to determine which locations could benefit from the Athena weapons detection deployment.
“Deploying a weapons detection platform that works out of the box with software and analytics and is low profile from a perception standpoint are all critical components to achieve the balance that we were looking for as an organization,” Martinez said.