Athens Regional Health Systems Partners with CooperCraft Communications in a 3-Phase Security Overhaul

In 2010, Athens Regional Health System realized the need for an upgrade in their security system. While searching for the right company to partner with, they came upon CooperCraft Communications.  “When I came on board back in 2009, we had two different access control systems. We were also in need of a larger Security Control Center and many upgrades to our CCTV monitors and cameras,” says Bruce L. Powers, Director of Security Services at Athens Regional Health Systems. “The hospital needed a way to simplify our security systems.  It was decided that we would conduct the security overhaul in three total phases, beginning in 2010 and the decision to partner with CooperCraft was made after our team conducted site visits and saw the work that CooperCraft had already completed for other hospitals our size.” The first phase was to cut the existing 161 analog cameras recording on GE DVRs, to Axis Q7900 and Q291 encoder racks. The video was moved to OnSSI recording platform, running on Intransa VA210 video servers. There were also 10 I.P.  cameras added in this phase. There was also a need for an upgraded control center, which was also completed during Phase One of the security upgrades. The next steps in phase one of the security overhaul was to cutover a total of 25 doors from an ACDB access control system to S2.This added more doors to the original S2 install of 32 doors. In addition, there were 66 new doors added on S2. Phase one was complete in August of 2011. Phase two began that same month with 12 additional IP cameras and 17 more doors added to the S2 system, all of which were completed in March 2012. The third phase began with transitioning the parking deck card access system to S2. There are a total of 10 card readers on the parking lots and decks of the hospital campus. During this install, 7 IP cameras were added and 4 exterior cameras were added for security of the perimeter of the hospital. While the three phases are completed, CooperCraft Communications continues to partner with Athens Regional Health Systems on several small, routine projects. “We are very satisfied with all of the products and service we received with CooperCraft. The integration of our systems and new installs of cameras have simplified our jobs. We are able to protect our patients, as well as our employees. The service we get from CooperCraft is exceptional,” said Powers.  Tom Ham, Project Manager and Technician with CooperCraft Communications, provides service to Athens Regional on a daily basis.” “The service we get from Tom and everyone else at CooperCraft is excellent.  We are proud to have partnered with them and look forward to working with them in the future” said Terri Payne, Security Services Department Coordinator at Athens Regional Health System

Colquitt Regional Medical Center Installs New Cameras to Ensure Safety of Patients and Staff

Greg Dorminey, director of Facility Operations at Colquitt Regional Medical Center in Moultrie, Georgia has nothing but wonderful things to say, when asked about the partnership between the hospital and CooperCraft Communications. “CooperCraft always provides quality service. From site evaluation to the continuing service and maintenance, Colquitt Regional has always been pleased with the performance and professionalism that CooperCraft exemplifies.” Dorminey has been the director of facility operations at Colquitt Regional for six and a half years. During those years, the hospital and surrounding medical offices have undergone a substantial amount of security overhaul. “We have had several upgrades to the structure of our security since I have been here. It is important for our hospital and outlying medical offices to stay up to date with security products and features, so that our patients feel safe and protected.” CooperCraft Communications and Colquitt Regional have partnered on several different projects including: access control solutions, installing analog and IP cameras throughout the hospital, many data cable drops, telephone system installs, and integrating the Cuddles™ infant protection system. “One of the largest and current ongoing projects would be the installation of a total of 81 cameras (and counting) at our facilities. The cameras, both analog and IP, have provided our security department with the technology the hospital was in need of. With the ExacqVision technology, we are able to install new cameras to our existing DVR and also integrate our CCTV systems through the S2 software we installed during our access control overhaul.”  The cameras that have been installed have already proven themselves to be a perfect fit at the hospital. “These cameras were installed to help us and protect everyone, patients and employees included.” Dorminey also gives credit to the attentiveness of CooperCraft Communications technician, Jeff Melton. “Jeff is here all of the time. Anytime we need help with something, we know that he is just a phone call away. There have been times when Jeff will come to the medical center, just to ensure that everything is going the way that it should. It is comforting to know that they are a local company that can do these large scale projects, but still care about a relationship with the customer.”

New Technology Improves Security at Phoebe

During his 40 year tenure at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital, Edwin Willis has seen first-hand how technology has advanced, along with how important it is keep up with the pace of this fast moving world. “I can remember a time that if someone was a threat to our staff or my assistance was needed in a different part of the hospital; I could just walk across the parking lot and handle things. Now, we have many more employees, patients and campuses, I am unable to be everywhere all of the time,” says Willis. Since its early beginnings in 1911, Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital has grown to serve a demand of nearly 300,000 patients over a 60 mile radius. With endless expansions and extensions of the hospital campus, there became a need for a more versatile and adaptable way of securing the facility. “The systems that we were using were becoming obsolete. We were still operating with analog cameras, which were not of the best quality. The advancement of technology had finally caught up to us. It was time to take the next step in securing our facilities and staff, but also our biggest priority, our patients,” Willis said. That is when he contacted CooperCraft Communications about the possibility of implementing a more efficient way of securing the facility. When evaluating PPMH’s current security situation, the decision was made to upgrade to ExacqVision Enterprise VMS using both customer provided Virtual Servers and ExacqVision hardware. Converting and replacing cameras were necessary to improving the level of security as well. CooperCraft technicians installed Axis indoor and exterior cameras, and Arecont Vision 180-degree panoramic cameras, for use in the parking lots at Phoebe campuses. CooperCraft Communications also installed S2 Enterprise security management, which allowed for data integration to PPMH’s Human Resource Database making it a seamless and more fluid process for employee access to buildings. At completion, CooperCraft will have installed a total of 308 access controlled doors, 212 security cameras, 8 video servers, 2 DVRs, and a total of 14 Terabytes for video storage, for over 6,300 users of the Phoebe family. “We are still able to use some of our old equipment with the new system. This played a vital part in choosing CooperCraft and the systems they offered. Having the new cameras is like having new security staff. I have 19 security guards in house, and a pool of 31 police officers I can use. Now that we have state of the art cameras, we can be in different places at once; it also cuts down on the liability of the hospital, since we are able to record footage and go back and look at any instances that could be questioned,” says Willis. “CooperCraft has proven to be an excellent business partner. They have qualified and knowledgeable employees, who have made this process very easy to the staff and myself. The employees and I are extremely satisfied in the work provided, and look to partner with CooperCraft on future security needs.”

Ed Willis, Director of Security at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital