HARRISONBURG, Va – Sentara RMH Medical Center has launched a new Visitor Badging System (VBS) designed to enhance safety and security for patients, visitors, and staff.

This VBS is part of a systemwide rollout across all 12 Sentara Healthcare hospitals, targeted to be activated across the system by the end of February.

Visitors will be asked to:
• Lock firearms, knives, and other weapons in their vehicles before entering.
• Show a photo ID at the reception area.
• Tell receptionists their destination in the building.
• Have a photo taken for printing on a visitor badge to be worn visibly at all times.

“We’re seeking the balance between being a welcoming place and being safe,” says Sentara system director of security Stephen Hollowell. “Knowing who is in the building helps keep our patients, visitors, and colleagues safer.”

The system includes a digital camera at reception to take visitor photos on the spot to be printed on their badges.

“It’s really important to increase the safety for everybody that’s on our campus. That includes our visitors and our staff,” says vice president of operations for Sentara RMH Medical Center Catherine Hughes. “This will be a very simple, quick check-in process.

Visitors will be asked their location, and if they have a photo ID with them,
they’ll be providing that photo ID. We’ll be logging that in the system one time and then they will be given a badge that’s good for 24 hours.”

The goal of the program is to have every person in Sentara hospitals wear a badge, including employees and clinicians, vendors, outpatients, and visitors. The VBS expands an existing badging protocol in Family Maternity Centers, which ensures that everyone entering those units is appropriate.

Those observed without a badge will be asked to go to reception and get one. Visitors asked to leave due to their behavior will be stored in the system, and their names will be flagged at any Sentara hospital.
“Health care workers suffer the highest percentage of workplace violence and verbal abuse in the U.S., mostly from patients and visitors,” Stephen Hollowell adds. “We believe the Visitor Badging System will encourage more civil language by visitors with our staff, at the very least because we will know who they are. We also
believe that visitors with good intentions will welcome the VBS system to help us provide a safer experience for everyone.”
“The first Sentara Commitment to our patients is to always keep you safe,” Hollowell concludes. “These systems are additional tools to help us maintain the safest environment possible for our patients, staff and visitors.”

Sentara RMH will be able to make exceptions if a visitor does not have a photo ID and/or if they are culturally averse to having their photo taken.