Emanuel Medical Center has introduced a new new check-in and visitor-badge procedure for the safety and security of patients, staff, and guests.

“Emanuel still welcomes and encourages family and friends to visit patients, eat in the Garden Terrace Cafe and shop in the gift shop,” explained Emanuel President and CEO John Sigsbury. “The change will simply require any non-employee coming to the hospital to check in at a security desk, say where they are going, and wear a visitor badge for that particular area of the hospital. Hospital staff currently wears ID badges.”

Sigsbury added that these types of procedures are becoming increasingly common in large health care facilities, and at the recommendation of the hospital’s Safety Task Force are being implemented at Emanuel.

“To support the work of our task force, we also contacted a safety and security consultant, who reviewed an assessment of our campus and offered expert recommendations,” Sigsbury said. “Those included the recommendation that we control visitor flow.”

Anyone coming to the hospital’s main entrance on Delbon Avenue will check-in with a security guard and be given a peel-and-stick badge that is color-coded for the area of the hospital they need to access. If Emanuel staff sees guests in other areas of the hospital, staff will help the guests find their way back to the proper floor or unit. Aside from the check-in and visitor-badge, visiting rules and hours will not change; however, the rules and hours will be consistently enforced, which may not have been the case in previous years.

The check-in process will work similarly at the entrance of the emergency department, except patients will not be delayed as they enter the hospital. The security check-in will be away from the entrance, positioned near the elevators that provide access to the main hospital areas beyond the ER.

“We’re making these changes to enhance the safety and security of our patients, staff and guests,” Sigsbury said.