Physical Security Considerations for Healthcare and Public Health Facilities

Healthcare and Public Health facilities face a unique set of challenges in today’s dynamic threat landscape. Incidents of violence often have no patterns when it comes to victim selection or method, creating an unpredictable and quickly evolving situation that can lead to loss of life and injury.

Numerous factors associated with hospital and healthcare environments complicate traditional responses to active assailant incidents, including the “duty-to-care” (also known as “duty-to-act”), availability of resources and procedures, and varying levels of patient mobility and needs.

This resource illustrates ways to recognize warning signs for at-risk behaviors, emphasizes the importance of taking proactive preparedness steps, and highlights the value of collaborating with local law enforcement and first responders to prevent and respond to a potential attack.