Hinton, WV (WOAY) – Two southern West Virginia hospitals now have walk-through security scanners at their entrances. Appalachian Regional Healthcare (ARH) installed the new screening technology at Beckley ARH Hospital on Monday and Summers County ARH Hospital in Hinton on Tuesday. According to ARH, installation was also scheduled Tuesday at Tug Valley ARH Regional Medical Center in South Williamson, Kentucky. Hazard and Highlands ARH Regional Medical Centers were set to follow Wednesday.
“You know, you never know what’s going to happen,” said Angela Rivera, CEO of Summers County ARH. “There’s multiple people coming in this building every day … and it’s just another layer to keep us safe.”
The system is a walk-through magnetometer designed to help security officers identify firearms, knives and other prohibited items. ARH says most people can walk through at a normal pace without emptying their pockets or removing everyday items.
“We just want to make sure that our patients are coming in, that they leave prohibited items at home, any type of guns, knives, anything that would be deemed a weapon,” said Joshua Smith, ARH senior director of intelligence and technical security.
Anyone who sets off the scanner will be pulled aside for additional screening.
“Our security officers are going to do a secondary screening to make sure that those items aren’t making it into our system,” Smith said. “But we are going to ask them to go secure that item, not in our facility.”
The screening covers employees, patients and visitors entering through equipped hospital entrances. ARH says the systems will become operational at each hospital as preparations are completed, and employees will be notified before screening begins.
Smith said the scanners won’t change the workday for hospital employees.
“It doesn’t change anything for hospital staff at all. Hopefully it creates a safer environment for them, a place where they can focus on patient care across our system,” Smith said.
In a news release, ARH President and CEO Hollie Harris said the health system has to balance stronger security with keeping its hospitals open and welcoming.
“We need to continually strengthen security while making sure our hospitals remain welcoming and accessible to the people who depend on us for care,” Harris said.
According to ARH, the scanners are the first visible piece of a multimillion-dollar security investment nearly two years in the making. The effort is led by Chief Security Officer Paul Buta and the ARH Security team.
Installations will continue across ARH’s Kentucky hospitals over the next few weeks. The health system says additional security initiatives are expected to roll out over the next several months.
