Geisinger bolsters Security Services team with private police officer program
DANVILLE– Continuing the health system’s commitment to providing safe and secure facilities for patients, visitors and staff, Geisinger is implementing a private police officer program into its Security Services team. Earlier this month, Geisinger swore in 10 officers, making a total of 13 who will begin patrolling Geisinger facilities in the weeks ahead.
The program will act as a supplementary tool to state and local police partners throughout the health system’s footprint. While Geisinger police officers will have responsibilities and powers in their jurisdiction on Geisinger properties, local and state police will still partner on most criminal matters.
The team will have the jurisdiction to approach situations in Geisinger facilities differently than traditional security officers. Police officers will be equipped with multiple tools available to this level of security, including firearms and non-lethal options. Members of this new team are approved by the courts and sworn in locally to hold their positions.
“Everyone deserves a safe and secure healing and working environment,” said Sean McGinley, Geisinger’s associate vice president of Security Operations and a former Pennsylvania State Police officer. “Trends across the healthcare industry show a rising incidence of violent events in healthcare settings and specifically toward healthcare workers over the past few years, something we all have been reminded of recently. Unfortunately, this is no different at Geisinger. Bringing private police officers to Geisinger is the next step in meeting the security needs of our organization.”
All candidates for Geisinger’s police program are required to have previous law enforcement experience and undergo extensive background checks and training, on par with or exceeding what is required for traditional law enforcement teams.
This is the latest investment the health system has made over the past five years in the safety and security of staff, patients and visitors. That includes the installation of metal detection equipment at hospital emergency rooms, adding hundreds of security cameras – many using Artificial Intelligence to automatically alert security to real-time dangers – specialized staff training and the system’s K-9 program.
“This program has been thoughtfully planned over some time, and we know bringing this new team to Geisinger will benefit our staff, patients and visitors,” said McGinley. “We’ve studied the trends and learned how our colleagues in healthcare and other industries across the state and country have implemented similar programs. Safety is our top priority for everyone, and this is yet another way we can strive to achieve that.”
Geisinger continues recruitment efforts and plans to introduce more officers to the program over the next several months.
About Geisinger
Geisinger is among the nation’s leading providers of value-based care, serving 1.2 million people in urban and rural communities across Pennsylvania. Founded in 1915 by philanthropist Abigail Geisinger, the nonprofit system generates $10 billion in annual revenues across 126 care sites — including 10 hospital campuses — and Geisinger Health Plan, with more than half a million members in commercial and government plans. Geisinger College of Health Sciences educates more than 5,000 medical professionals annually and conducts more than 1,400 clinical research studies. With 26,000 employees, including 1,700 employed physicians, Geisinger is among Pennsylvania’s largest employers with an estimated economic impact of $15 billion to the state’s economy. On March 31, 2024, Geisinger became the first member of Risant Health, a new nonprofit charitable organization created to expand and accelerate value-based care across the country. Learn more at geisinger.org or follow on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.
