Lee Health unveils hospital’s weapon detection system

By CHUCK BALLARO news@breezenewspapers com

An unknown man walked into the emergency room on July 11 at Lee Memorial Hospital, when he realized he had something that could be a weapon

He immediately took it out and brought the object back to his car before returning

Had he tried to go through, the hospital’s new weapon detection system installed on July 10 would have let him know about it

On July 11, Lee Health held a media event outside the emergency room to announce the installation of the Evolv Weapons Detection System, which will increase security and keep the community safe

Gloria Graham, system manager for emergency departments, said they chose the hospital because of logistics and because Lee Memorial is the smallest of all emergency rooms

“The system is the most minimally intrusive to our patients and visitors. They required the least amount of slowing down, which is important in an emergency room,” she said “They’re entering a healing environment, so they can get the help and treatment they need ”

The system, which was decided upon after a year of planning, will use artificial intelligence-based weapons detection security to detect weapons, with Lee Health being the first hospital system in Southwest Florida to use it and Lee Memorial Hospital the first at Lee Health to install it.

This means that the hospital does not have to do what TSA does and go through your belongings if they find something unusual

Ultimately, the goal is to make sure everyone who is healing there, visiting there or working there to be as safe as possible

“Emergency departments are dynamic places. We have paid attention to the trends and realized this was an added layer of security to invest in The leadership of Lee Health was very supportive,” Graham said, adding that she does not recall anybody bringing in a weapon with the intent to do harm

She also said that nobody entered the healing environment with a weapon However, there were two who walked up to the door with something that could be construed as one, saw the sign, and went back to their vehicle and secured the weapon there

The system can screen up to 3,600 people in an hour with its AI built into the system, while the hospital takes in about 100 patients per day

The AI alerts the officer about the item, so the officer can see if it is a laptop The system learns what may or may not be a danger The system highlights where the alert was, as opposed to just signaling an alert

The system detected a couple items on its first day of use, including a pocketknife, which was put back in the vehicle

Katie Egan, media relations specialist at Lee Health, also demonstrated the system by holding a fake gun in her hand as she went through security The alarm did not go crazy, but it quietly alerted the officer of a potential issue on the computer screen

The systems will soon be installed in all the Lee Health emergency rooms With Gulf Coast Hospital being next and Cape Coral Hospital after that. Cape’s system should be installed early in the fall