KINGWOOD — Preston Memorial Hospital (PMH) has a new alert system called KAS.
KAS, which stands for Keyboard Alert System, allows users to issue alerts with either a simple keystroke or a few clicks of the mouse, using only a standard Windows PC.
“Every keyboard in the hospital is on the system,” Ed Messenger, clinical information specialist, said.
He said the system contains 14 alerts under the headings of employee alert, medical alert, security alert and active shooter alert.
“When an alert sounds, computer screens flash and tell us where and what the alert is about,” Messenger said.
In extreme cases, such as an active shooter, cameras throughout the hospital activate, Messenger said. This gives the Preston County Office of Emergency Management/911 eyes on the situation.
“You never know what is going to happen,” Messenger said. “If someone comes in acting strange or causing concern, there is code ‘watch.’ This alert lets the staff monitor or respond to the situation.”
Jim Childs, director of facilities, has three large screens on which he can monitor the hospital
If an emergency arises, Childs can lock doors and activate cameras from his office.
“In the case of an active shooter, the cameras can track around the hospital and follow him (or her),” Childs said.
Childs also has the ability to lock any door in the hospital that has an electronic lock.
But KAS does more than monitor for emergencies. Childs said each ambulance has its own code. This lets him know which ambulances come and go from the hospital.
“Another code is Code White,” Childs said. “Code White lets us know when a chopper is coming in so we can block traffic. And it sends a signal to OEM 911 so they know we have a chopper in the air.”
Another example of how the system has already worked involved a car burglarized on hospital property.
“I pulled up the info from the camera, and the guy that broke into the car was sitting in the waiting room,” Childs said. “He went to jail.”
Both Childs and Messenger are proud of the system.
There is no way we could afford all of this,” Childs said. Datagarden in Morgantown, who designed the system, “donated a lot of the money. They use the hospital to show off the system. We recently had some visitors from China who are considering using the system for security.”
Childs said within a year, PMH will be using a Radio Frequency Identification system to track equipment.
“It’ll follow things like crash carts and IV pumps so they can be readily found during an emergency,” he said.
Childs said the KAS system used at the hospital is similar to the ones used in VA hospitals and to monitor 700 miles of Canadian border.
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