by Brianna Crandall — November 20, 2013—Hospital and healthcare facilities managers may be interested in a recent announcement by Brivo Systems, a provider of cloud applications for security management, that Anthem Memory Care has standardized on the Brivo OnAir hosted cloud-based access control and video surveillance management solution for their future new care facilities. Key-Rite Security of Denver, Colorado, is the dealer and installer for this project.
Demonstrating the pressing need for such a solution, Anthem cited statistics that in the United States today, a person develops Alzheimer’s disease every 71 seconds, and that there are currently 5.2 million Americans living with the disease. Anthem Memory Care addresses the needs of seniors afflicted by Alzheimer’s and dementia through specialized care. Each Anthem community is planned, designed, and operated with the specific needs of its residents in mind.
“The expected shortfall in the supply of memory care facilities has been identified as the most significant long-term healthcare risk to the baby boomer generation,” said Isaac Scott, Principal at Anthem Memory Care. “We have an enormous challenge to meet this unmet demand for years to come with facilities that offer focused care that enriches the lives of each resident and their family members.”
As Anthem planned out its network of facilities, Scott said he and his executive team sought to choose and standardize on best-in-class technologies, managed by true professionals, resulting in their selection of Brivo and Key-Rite. The Brivo OnAir solution is a software-as-a-service (SaaS)-based security management system designed for organizations that need to protect and remotely monitor buildings and perimeter entry points with real-time control and accountability.
The Brivo system is installed at the company’s Littleton, Colorado community, which will have 76 residents at capacity, cared for by a total of 40 staff. “This is a 24/7 operation,” explained Scott. “We have to be agile, and we have to respond quickly to any event.” The Brivo system manages nine access points at the community, with two video surveillance cameras at each of the two main entrances. Staff and family members gain entry and exit by entering a passcode on keypads located inside and outside each access point.
Chris DiGuardi, of Key-Rite Security, related an incident that illustrates the essential need for a reliable, always-on managed system. “One Saturday at 2:00 in the afternoon, we got a call from a staff member at the Littleton community: a resident had learned the passcode. Within minutes, I was able to log on remotely, change the passcode, and ensure a secure community for the residents.”
Anthem plans to open a total of four communities in 2013 and six in 2014, and anticipates continued growth beyond that point. “We’ve got the model right now, and we anticipate having upwards of 50 communities across the country by 2022 in markets that display a significant shortage of beds for those suffering from cognitive impairment. With this kind of growth and the critical nature of our mission, we have incorporated the hardware and software technologies that keep our residents safe and make sure they are well taken care of 24/7.”
Scott said that the combination of Brivo and Key-Rite provide peace of mind to the facility’s staff, residents, and residents’ families. DiGuardi added that all risks of system failure have been removed since all system updates are automatic, and the Brivo system has the scalability and rapid deployment to meet the fast-growing company’s evolving needs.
