Guidelines for Arrival and Orientation

  • Before a non-emergency admission or scheduled service.  Make sure that hospital personnel scheduling the visit are fully aware of the circumstances so that appropriate arrangements can be made.
  • Confidentiality. All medical information obtained about a patient is confidential and will not be disclosed to unauthorized personnel. Persons guarding a patient will refrain from discussing information about the patient in public areas.  The officer’s agency will refer requests for information from the media to the organization.
  • Crisis intervention. Officers guarding patients will resolve altercations or other problems in accordance with their agency’s policies and procedures. Nursing administration and hospital security will be notified of all incidents that occur in the hospital.
  • Food and other non-medical items. Guarded patients are prohibited from receiving food or other non-medical items from a non-hospital source unless the officer guarding the patient and the nurse approve it.
  • Hospital life safety. Smoking is prohibited anywhere on and around the hospital campus. You are expected to report any equipment that is malfunctioning or anything that could be a safety hazard to the patient’s nurse.
  • Hospital orientation. Take time to observe your surroundings, noting the location of emergency exits, equipment and evacuation routes. Stairs are located at the end of each floor, while elevators are located in the middle of the floor.
  • Identification of hospital personnel. All hospital personnel, including physicians are required to wear their hospital identification. If you have any questions about someone entering a patient’s room, contact the charge nurse on duty or Security at 484-628-4126.
  • Nursing contacts. Be familiar with your patient’s nurse(s). They will be your primary contact for information about your patient’s condition.
  • Restraints for clinical or administrative purposes. Administrative restraints are used by forensic staff when transporting patients.  Clinical restraints are used by medical staff to protect the patient when other less restrictive alternatives don’t work.  The hospital has detailed policies regarding the use of clinical restraints.
  • Temporary relief. If no one in your agency is available to relieve you, coordinate with Security at 484-628-4126 regarding brief coverage. At no time will you leave your patient without proper relief.
  • When arriving at the hospital. LEO/CO accessing the hospital should call Security at 484-628-4126 for escort.
    • LEO/CO escorting a forensic patient to the Emergency Department should park in the spaces designated for LEO/CO and enter the facility through the ambulance entrance.
    • LEO/CO escorting a forensic patient to an outpatient appointment or direct admission should park and enter at AG.
    • LEO/CO escorting a forensic patient to an outpatient appointment in the DOB may park in the D&E lot and access the DOB through a public entrance.
    • LEO/CO arriving without a forensic patient for the purposes of shift change or otherwise may park at the RG/5th Avenue entrance, provided that the outgoing LEO/CO departs with the vehicle.
  • When arriving at your point-of-care destination. Immediately report your circumstances to the healthcare worker on duty.

Assistance You Can Expect from Hospital Personnel

Law enforcement and correctional officers must never attempt to provide patient care services, and you will never be asked by hospital personnel to assist with the delivery of these services, except to monitor and possibly help control the behavior of your guarded patient. Similarly, hospital personnel will defer to the experience of the officer regarding guarding and managing the patient. Hospital personnel assume NO responsibility for controlling or restricting the guarded patient.

  • If your visit is for inpatient care, an effort will be made to provide a private room. For outpatient visits, you should expect to utilize the general waiting rooms that accommodate most other outpatients, unless special arrangements have been made with the hospital in advance of the visit.
  • Reading Hospital restricts prisoner visitation. Visitation of forensic patients is permitted only under special circumstances when coordinated through the Jail System and Hospital Security. Authorization for visitation is to be coordinated with Reading Hospital Security by contacting Security Management or the Security Command Center at 4126. Authorization for visitation must be confirmed in writing by the appropriate LEO/CO department and received by Security Management.
  • The hospital will use restraints only when clinically indicated. As officer in charge, you must furnish and use other restraints as necessary for administrative or legal reasons.
  • Guarded patients with leg shackles should not be walked through the public corridors of the hospital. You must ask for and use a wheelchair to escort the patient.
  • Patients must remain restrained at all times. (Exceptions include pregnant prisoners, therapy patients, certain medical procedures or patients who are under anesthesia).
  • The patient must be observed and in line of vision of guarding officer at all times.
  • Your guarded patient’s discharge and follow-up care instructions, including follow-up appointments, will be provided to you at the time of discharge.
  • All prisoner patients are listed under “Confidential” status; therefore, no information will be provided by Security to those attempting to visit.

Fire Safety

Fire safety protocols include awareness of fire alarm, fire drills or other emergency situations. The hospital has a computer-generated voice annunciation system. Fire alarm information is announced over fire system speakers throughout all hospital buildings.

  • Fire alarms are announced overhead as “Code Red” followed by the location. “All Clear” will be announced to clear the alarm.
  • If you see a fire or smoke, dial hospital emergency 484-628-8222 or pull one of the manual pull stations located in the hallways. Notify a staff member or charge nurse immediately. Close the door to the patient’s room and remain in the room. When “All Clear” is announced, you may open the door.
  • In the event you are instructed by the nurse or security to evacuate or move the patient, you will follow the policy of your agency regarding securing the patient. Don’t attempt to evacuate your guarded patient without prior direction from nurse manager, department supervisor, or their delegate. If evacuation becomes necessary, hospital personnel will assist you in the appropriate evacuation route.

Remember RACE and PASS for Fire Safety

  • R - Rescue
  • A - Alarm
  • C - Confine
  • E - Extinguish
  • P - Pull the pin
  • A - Aim at base of fire
  • S - Squeeze handle
  • S - Sweep side to side

Infection Control Precautions

Only you can decide how close in proximity you need to be when your guarded patient is being cared for at the hospital.  Any test, therapy, procedure, or other service that you witness could expose you to a variety of workplace hazards.  Therefore, you must be prepared to follow the same precautions as healthcare workers.

  • All personnel must wash their hands with soap and water after each patient contact.
  • Any body fluid that is contaminated with blood should be treated as if it were potentially infectious. We refer to this as standard precautions.
  • You should NOT handle any needles, sharps, lab specimens, or anything moist or wet containing body fluids.
  • Make sure any cuts or abrasions are covered with a bandage while on duty.
  • Persons guarding the patient will use personal protective equipment (PPE) and follow isolation guidelines as indicated by staff and signs posted on the door. Items are readily available to all patient care locations, and you should check with the healthcare worker on duty regarding location and proper use. Ask questions if you do not know how to protect yourself. Put on PPE in the order below and reverse the order to remove.
    • Airborne. Gloves, gown, N95 goggles, or PAPR
    • Contact. Gloves, gown
    • Droplet. Gloves, gown, mask, goggles
    • Environmental. Gloves, gown
    • Enhanced. Gloves, gown, N95 goggles, or PAPR

If Exposure to Blood or Body Fluids Occurs

You must act quickly to protect yourself, and you must also seek immediate backup support from your organization to guard your patient. You may need to report to the hospital’s Emergency Department for early treatment.  The window of opportunity for anti-retroviral drugs is 2 hours.  The hospital is not equipped or qualified to provide guard services in your absence; therefore, you should have a backup plan with your organization.

Exposure Protocols

  • If your mucus membranes (eyes, mouth, inside of nose) are splashed with blood, flush the area with large amounts of water as soon as possible.
  • If a needlestick occurs or you come in contact with blood or body fluids on non-intact skin (chapped, abraded), wash area with soap and water as soon as possible.
  • Immediately report the incident to the Nurse Manager, Charge Nurse or Department Supervisor on duty in the area.  Make plans to report to the Emergency Department for early treatment.
  • Cooperate with Hospital personnel who will interview you to complete a Patient/Visitor Occurrence Report. This report documents the circumstances of the exposure.

Security Notifications

Note: For informational purposes only

  • Active threat. Person brandishing weapon
  • Behavior response. Out of control person
  • Campus lockdown. Facility lockdown
  • ED lockdown. Emergency Department lockdown
  • Suspicious package
  • BERRT. Behavioral and rapid response team
  • Patient elopement
  • Infant abduction
  • Pediatric abduction
  • Missing child. Non-patient 

Medical Responses

Call 484-628-6363.

  • Code blue. Patient, staff member, visitor, or out-patient
  • Rapid response team (RRT). In-patient with change in status not meeting criteria for Code blue
  • Medical emergency (ERT). Non in-patient that does not meet criteria for Code blue – includes staff, visitors, students, and outpatients
  • Neonatal emergency. Activated only when the NICU team is needed at the scene