by Brianna Crandall — April 4, 2016—Belleville Memorial Hospital in Belleville, Illinois, recently adopted Chicago-based software development company RealView’s CommandScope first-responder technology to better protect patients, staff, and property in cases of emergency. The almost 60-year-old hospital expects to have all facility data entered into the system by the end of the month.
Beyond external events, medical buildings have the potential to be extremely hazardous due to the storage of chemicals and biohazards on site, notes RealView. CommandScope provides first responders with critical knowledge of buildings and its occupants.
According to Len Karson, account executive, RealView:
The adoption is a smart, cost-effective investment in the continued focus on the safety of their residents. It is imperative for the program to be user-friendly, for first responders to get critical information immediately and clearly. CommandScope does that.
The CommandScope emergency pre-plan provides first responders (fire, police and security departments) with instant en route access to site plans, floor plans, hazardous material details, utility shut-off locations, geographical maps, fire hydrant locations, persons requiring special assistance, and other critical building data.
CommandScope is used in municipalities, utility companies, office / industrial properties, college campuses, hospitals, hotels and other facilities across the United States and Canada. CommandScope’s technical standards adhere to the requirements of both the National Fire Protection Association and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s National Incident Management System (NIMS), which is a template to execute a multi-faceted rescue plan to save victims of unforeseen catastrophes.
The nonprofit Belleville Memorial, a 316-bed hospital, is a designated MAGNET facility by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) as well as an accredited Chest Pain Center with PCI by the Society for Chest Pain Centers. It has a medical staff of more than 350 members representing 42 specialties.
Belleville Memorial joins Loyola University Chicago’s Medical Campus, as well as hospitals in Lincolnwood, Park Ridge and Niles, Illinois, in using the technology.
