“We take calls for service and we dispatch security officers to respond to any incidents in the hospital,” says Mary Mathis-Hargett, security command center manager at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. “We take about 5,000 calls per month for service. Those are emergency and non-emergency calls. Our main objective is to thwart anything that may come up and to partner with the different units in the hospital to work together to find solutions. We also partner with the University Campus Police Department for major events and they are a great resource for all the services we provide. The difference between us and the police department is that security acts on behalf of the health system. If someone is using profanity on the street, that’s not a crime, but in the hospital that is being disruptive and it can impact a medical unit. So we have a little more autonomy and can say, ‘That behavior is not allowed here.’ Our main message is that we’re here, 24 hours a day. We want to make sure that if you need us, even for the smallest thing, we’re here.”

Tags: Hospital Week, Patient Story, Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Security