In January 2016, Boston Medical Center (BMC) opened its new Women and Infants Center in Boston. Part of the hospital’s clinical campus redesign, the 48,000-square-foot Women and Infants Center and Ullian Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) features a concept called “couplet care,” which promotes mothers and newborns rooming together for their hospital stay. The facility also brings together physicians of different specialties into one center, providing the ability to better manage any clinical situation that could arise as well as address the specific needs of family and infant. 

The commitment to high quality and integrated care delivery, a BMC philosophy, also extends to the security of mothers and their children, and as such, the design-build of the facility included the installation of a technologically advanced, wireless Real-Time Location System (RTLS) from STANLEY Healthcare called the Hugs Infant Protection Solution. The Hugs system was installed by systems integration firm Advance Technology, Scarborough, Maine, as a collaborative effort between STANLEY Healthcare, the BMC Department of Public Safety, IT department, hospital personnel and other stakeholders and contractors.

While infant protection and tracking systems are not new, STANLEY Healthcare’s next-generation Hugs leverages STANLEY Healthcare’s AeroScout Wi-Fi-based RTLS platform to extend security to infants hospital-wide.

Advance Technology installed the solution hospital-wide in a full deployment scenario, according to Bob Gilbert, remote technical support supervisor for Advance Technology. Because it operates on the hospital’s Wi-Fi network, it can track the location of babies and provide protection anywhere the infant may be transported, instead of being confined to areas limited to hardwired receivers and repeaters common to other infant protection systems.

“This was our first deployment and there were a lot of moving parts in this highly IT-centric, wireless system,” Gilbert said. “We completed intensive training to attain required Hugs certification. We spent months at BMC during the installation and set up an off-site test environment for beta purposes before implementation.”

The specification includes two dedicated, high-availability servers for redundancy and backup. The Hugs solution is Web-browser based, giving nurses, administration and other designated hospital personnel easy access to scheduling and permissions via its backbone MobileView enterprise software platform, which serves as the graphical user interface for scheduling, control, history and alerts, Gilbert explained. The server for MobileView is installed in the Boston Medical Center Public Safety Department’s Command and Control Center and integrates with Lenel by United Technologies OnGuard SMS (security management system).

Luigi Martiniello, assistant director of operations and public safety for BMC, said a strong partnership between stakeholders and contractors was necessary to execute an installation of this magnitude and meet the move-in and system launch date.

“Through communications and collaboration we were able to come together toward our common goal of a successful deployment,” Martiniello said. “We wanted to take advantage of new technology and the ability to achieve real-time status and location of system tags.

“This is a very heavily IT-based system. Our technicians from all facets of IT and networking were a huge part of the rollout,” he added.

The Department of Public Safety provides services and support to Boston Medical Center, as well as the Boston University Schools of Medicine, Dental Medicine and Public Health. The Command and Control Center is responsible for emergency and non-emergency service requests for public safety assistance, monitoring all public safety systems, building automation systems and dispatching staff to respond to requests for assistance including fire alarm, heating/air conditioning systems and all other building and grounds issues at the medical center. In the Command and Control Center, MobileView operates on virtual servers and integrates with Lenel OnGuard SMS. The Hugs solution also integrates with elevator control building automation software to provide egress control in the event of a breach or an alarm. The Department of Public Safety operates 24/7 and employs more than 125 sworn and non-sworn officers.

The ability to monitor and protect anywhere in a hospital is critical, since nearly 20 percent of hospital abductions in the U.S. happen outside the Mother-Baby unit, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.  And that’s what the solution installed by Advance Technology accomplishes.

“The wireless infrastructure at BMC is robust,” Gilbert said. “The Hugs tags transmit every 10 seconds and there can be anywhere from 50 to 100 tags in operation, so that’s a lot of information going back and forth.”

In order to effectively implement the installation and avoid dead spots, Advance Technology used heat mapping capability to show the density of Wi-Fi access point coverage and ascertain effective distances of RF signals received from infant tags.

The system receives and processes tag messages from all access points on the Wi-Fi network and allows the creation of zones for different areas and floors.

When an infant needs to leave the floor, the tag can be placed into transport mode. This allows the staff member to pass through exits to travel to departments such as radiology, but the location of the infant is continually tracked in real-time, and can be checked in the MobileView software at any time. 

Advance Technology integrated Hugs to all door contacts, access control readers, audible alarms and elevator controls. The company worked closely with the elevator contractor to implement input controls to prevent the elevator door from opening if a tag was sensed at the door. Similarly, the access control system will not unlock the door if an infant tag is present on the other side of the opening, even when a valid proximity badge is presented. The Department of Public Safety’s Command and Control Center dispatchers monitor the system 24/7 and receive all alarms.

Once the tag is placed on the infant with a special tamper-detecting strap, it automatically activates and is enrolled in the system so protection begins immediately. Any attempt to cut or detach the strap without authorization immediately results in a tamper alarm.  All exit doors lock and stay secured until the alarm event is cleared by the staff.

Advance Technology provides managed services and on-site support to BMC, remotely monitoring the system. “We have monitoring tools that provide real-time status updates on the servers, and review system logs monthly for exceptions or other recurring criteria that may indicate a problem,” Gilbert said. 

Milestone Systems has partnered with Axis Communications and The Consulting Group (TCG) to create a unique security solution for Hamilton Family Center in San Francisco, Calif. The solution uses a combination of the Milestone Husky M30 NVR with XProtect Smart Client and Milestone Mobile clients, Axis network cameras and Axis A-8004-VE Network Video Door station.

The Hamilton Family Center (HFC), a shelter for victims of domestic violence and homelessness, needed an updated security system to protect its residents.

“Above all, HFC has to be a safe place,” said principal and owner of TCG, Jeanine Lovejoy. “The residents need to feel protected. Milestone and Axis technology assists in a big way. In addition, the technical support teams have been extremely helpful with the installation and making themselves available to help with any matters that have arisen.”

Tyco Security Products, part of Tyco, has deployed the C•CURE 9000 access control solution across the King County, Wash., region to provide a single management platform for increased security. King County is using the C•CURE 9000 platform to integrate its many access cards, cameras and doors, incident command center and emergency notification and duress system, tying together its multiple high-rises, courthouses, county offices and transportation facilities.

With its integrator partner, SimplexGrinnell, King County is also integrating its two Sur-Gard System 5 virtual receivers with the C•CURE 9000 system for efficient alarm handling.

Knight Security Systems announced a new contract deal with the State of Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR), titled DIR-TSO-3430. This new DIR contract gives State of Texas purchasing agents the ability to purchase more security solutions than ever before, on top of capabilities already available via their preexisting contract, DIR-SDD-2224.

“We’re delighted to be selected for this new contract with the State of Texas DIR and know that our partnered offering will bring safety and security to businesses across Texas,” said Phil Lake, president of Knight Security Systems. “We’re always looking for new ways to help Texans stay secure and are looking forward to the partnership with DIR in years to come.”

The Massachusetts Convention Center Authority (MCCA) turned to its longtime systems integration partner, BCM Controls, to evaluate options to design and deploy a cutting-edge security system to meet their needs for the Lawn on D (now the Lawn on D Powered by Citizens Bank) — a first-of-its-kind experimental outdoor space adjacent to the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. Together, the MCCA and BCM Controls chose Fluidmesh Networks to provide the reliable wireless infrastructure needed to meet the needs of this complex security system.

“To allow the MCCA to realize its vision, we needed to build a strong, absolutely reliable, easily reconfigurable, wireless infrastructure,” said Steve Feinberg, president of BCM Controls. “All the applications the MCCA wanted on the Lawn require a backbone network they can trust in all conditions. BCM has been a partner of Fluidmesh for the last 10 years, and has deployed its technology across some of the most high-profile wireless video surveillance networks in New England and considered this solution as the perfect fit for the project.”

Flint City Police recently approached Sonitrol Tri-County for assistance in increasing security at City Hall. Sonitrol then contacted 3xLOGIC, Sonitrol’s technology innovator and developer, for its help. After a short consultation, the two firms agreed to a speedy, joint donation.

“We’ve had a long and mutually beneficial history of working with law enforcement, particularly Flint City Police, when they need help, and today’s donation is a great example of this relationship,” said Mike Buckel, Sonitrol Tri-County vice president of operations. “We’re hopeful the new equipment will go a long way in deterring any future crime at City Hall.”

APM Terminals Callao has installed Turnlock 100 Boon Edam Inc. full height turnstiles at the Multipurpose North Terminal of Callao in Peru as part of a large-scale physical security plan to protect one of the largest marine terminals in the region from criminal activity.

In 2013, APM Terminals Callao invested in new access control equipment as part of a continuous improvement program designed to modernize visitor and employee application processing and auditing standards for objectivity and efficiency. To achieve these objectives, APM Terminals Callao selected Boon Edam’s Turnlock full height turnstiles for their robust barrier construction and ability to efficiently control the flow of visitors and staff to the facility, who are recorded also via security cameras during entry.

Located in California’s San Joaquin Valley, Memorial Medical Center of Modesto is affiliated with the Sutter Health family of not-for-profit hospitals and offers a wide variety of services. When the staff could not hear patients over the old intercom system in the radiation therapy rooms, the hospital contacted systems integrators Quality Sound, in nearby Stockton.

“The biggest issue was that the old system did not enable the microphone to be positioned close enough to the patient,” said Marv Langford, vice president of healthcare, education, and business systems sales for Quality Sound. “The situation was simple and straightforward, and the issues were easily resolved with a Tech Works CI-Series Collaborative Intercom system.”

In Mexico City, an independent administrative body operating under the country’s transport and communications ministry, operated three buildings that needed a video surveillance solution for multiple high-profile people, assets and the integrity of documentation found within those buildings.

The administrative body worked with an integrator, Alarmas Universales, to find an option that could meet its needs. Alarmas Universales introduced the razberi ServerSwitch as a solution that could operate 24 hours a day but still maintain a three-year warranty with a two-year extended option. Razberi’s VyneWatch health monitoring system was also utilized in the installation to provide visibility into all cameras and appliances on the network.

“For our installation, it was very important that the system was operating at 100 percent at all times,” said Marco A. Godina Martínez, security advisor, Alarmas Universales. “Razberi’s VyneWatch health monitoring feature helps us prevent equipment failures and allows us to know in advance when a component or camera is not functioning properly. We are able to proactively replace a component while reducing downtime.”