Greensboro, N.C.-based Cone Health has invested in a weapons detection system as part of a $3 million package to bolster security in its emergency department and some of its public entrances at various hospitals, a spokesperson confirmed to Becker's.
The move comes as violence against healthcare workers, particularly nurses, continues to climb. A recent report from National Nurses United found that 81.6% of nurses have experienced workplace violence, with half stating they have seen instances of violence increase in the last year alone.
The new detection systems are officially up and running at Cone Health as of Feb. 29, according to the system's news release. Additional systems will be purchased and installed at other facilities by the end of September, a spokesperson said.
So far, the first system, which debuted in September 2023 at the emergency department of The Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital in Greensboro, has not deterred or caused issues with patients.
"Most people walk through them without giving it a second thought," Chris Cromer, director of security and emergency management at Cone Health, said in the news release. "And when we do detect something, they have been very good about putting the items in their car."
The University of Pennsylvania Health System also recently invested $28 million in its own weapons detection technology.