Health Care Security Leaders Push for Proactive Risk Management, Technology Integration and Resilience at SIA Vertical Insights Symposium 

Health care organizations are facing an increasingly complex security environment, where workplace violence, cyber threats, operational disruptions and resource constraints are converging. Those realities were front and center during the Security Industry Association (SIA) Vertical Insights Health Care Security Symposium. During this virtual event, held Oct. 14 in partnership with the American Hospital Association and sponsored by 3SI, Acre, Axis Communications, Evolv, HID, SAGE Integration and Wasabi, industry leaders from health care systems, technology providers and security organizations shared practical strategies for building safer, more resilient health care environments.  

A recurring theme throughout the symposium was that health care security can no longer operate as a reactive function—instead, leaders emphasized the need for proactive planning, stronger collaboration across departments and technologies that improve both safety and operational efficiency.  

VIDEO: VERTICAL INSIGHTS HEALTH CARE SECURITY SYMPOSIUM  

From Reactive Security to Proactive Risk Management 

In opening remarks, Mark Moore, chief security officer at Dayton Children’s Hospital, highlighted one of health care security’s most pressing challenges: workplace violence. Referencing industry research, Moore noted that hospitals spent millions addressing workplace violence impacts, but less than 20% of that spending was focused on prevention. He challenged health care security leaders to advocate more effectively for proactive investments. 

“I am hopeful that we as health care security executives can figure out ways to do a better job convincing our C-suites to be more proactive in fighting against workplace violence,” said Moore, who also stressed the importance of building situational awareness across entire organizations, not just among security teams. 

“I’m talking about [not just] the situational awareness of security practitioners, but every single staff member,” he said. 

That focus on prevention carried throughout the symposium, with multiple speakers emphasizing early threat identification, risk assessment and intervention before incidents escalate.  

Balancing Safety and a Welcoming Care Environment 

According to Eric Sean Clay, vice president and chief security officer at FMOL Health, health care presents one of the most difficult security environments because organizations must remain open, compassionate and accessible while defending against a growing range of risks.  

“Patients should feel cared for when they walk through our doors, not intimidated,” said Clay. “Visitors should feel welcomed, not watched.” 

Clay said leading health care organizations are increasingly integrating analytics, video surveillance, access control and situational awareness tools to identify concerns earlier and prevent incidents before they become crises; however, he cautioned that technology alone is not enough. 

“At its core, security is still about people protecting other people,” said Clay. 

That perspective was reinforced by Amanda Venafro, health care director at HID, who argued that security technology should support organizational culture rather than dictate it. 

“Technology and security should support a culture, not dictate it,” she said. 

Venafro encouraged security leaders to work closely with clinical teams, human resources, IT and frontline staff to understand where employees feel vulnerable and where support is needed most. She also urged organizations to automate routine administrative tasks, such as credentialing and visitor management, to free security teams to focus on higher-value work.  

Doing More With Existing Resources 

One of the most practical discussions focused on a challenge many health care security leaders know well: increasing security capabilities without increasing headcount. 

Moore noted that technologies such as gunshot detection and weapons screening can be highly effective, but they still require personnel to verify alarms, investigate incidents and respond appropriately. The question for health care security departments, he said, is how to maximize innovation while working within staffing constraints.  

Panelists repeatedly emphasized phased implementation strategies, automation and stronger vendor partnerships as ways to stretch resources. Rather than attempting large-scale deployments all at once, organizations can often gain approval and demonstrate value through smaller projects that expand over time.  

Breaking Down Silos Through Integration 

Another major takeaway centered on interoperability. Health care organizations often operate with separate systems for security, facilities, clinical operations and IT, creating inefficiencies and limiting situational awareness.  

Blake Simoneaux, regional sales manager at Axis Communications, advocated for open architecture and standards-based approaches that allow systems to share information. 

“The opportunity now is getting those systems to share data, so one investment does 3, 4, 5 jobs,” said Simoneaux. 

Examples shared included: 

• Virtual patient observation programs that reduce sitter costs 
• Infant protection and patient elopement solutions integrated with access control and video 
• Emergency department occupancy monitoring and crowd management 
• Workplace violence response tied to duress alarms, audio and video systems 
• Drug diversion investigations linked to video and medication management systems  

Panelists noted that when security technology supports patient care, operations and financial performance simultaneously, it becomes easier to justify investments with executive leadership.  

Security and Cybersecurity Are Now Inseparable 

The event’s second panel focused on the convergence of physical security and cybersecurity, an issue speakers described as increasingly critical for health care organizations. 

Scott Gee, deputy national advisor for cybersecurity and risk at the American Hospital Association, warned that healthcare’s growing dependence on connected technologies creates both benefits and vulnerabilities. 

“It’s not a matter of if you’re going to be attacked—it’s how well you are prepared to defend and recover from that attack,” said Gee, who stressed that every connected security device, whether a camera, access control system or sensor, becomes part of the organization’s cyber risk landscape and must be properly maintained, patched and monitored.  

Speakers also highlighted emerging threats, including ransomware, artificial intelligence-assisted cyberattacks and geopolitical risks that could affect health care through attacks on critical infrastructure such as power and telecommunications networks.  

Building Resilience for the Inevitable 

Perhaps the strongest theme of the day was resilience. Panelists repeatedly emphasized that outages, cyberattacks and operational disruptions are no longer hypothetical scenarios. Health care organizations must prepare for system failures before they occur.  

Several speakers advocated for local decision-making capabilities, redundant infrastructure, edge computing, backup power systems and business continuity planning. Equally important were tabletop exercises, disaster recovery testing and documented procedures.  

Moore repeatedly returned to the importance of maintaining physical documentation and checklists. 

“If all your systems go down, where are all those things?” he said. “Can you access them? Can you look at them? Can you make them happen as they’re written?”  

Drawing from Dayton Children’s Hospital’s experience, Moore described how lessons learned from previous outages significantly improved response times to later disruptions. 

Speaking the Language of the C-Suite 

For security industry companies and health care security leaders alike, another valuable lesson emerged around executive engagement. 

Moore argued that today’s security leaders must learn how to frame proposals in business terms rather than focusing only on security outcomes. 

“First we educate, and then we sell,” he said. 

Panelists encouraged security professionals to connect initiatives to organizational priorities such as employee retention, patient safety, operational continuity and financial performance. Building relationships with chief financial officers, controllers, nursing leaders and other key stakeholders can significantly improve the likelihood of securing funding and organizational support. 

Looking Ahead 

The symposium made clear that health care security is evolving beyond traditional guard services and physical protection programs. Today’s leaders must navigate workplace violence prevention, cybersecurity, resilience planning, operational continuity and enterprise risk management simultaneously.  

For security technology providers, the message was equally clear: health care organizations are seeking trusted partners who can deliver interoperable solutions, measurable outcomes and long-term support. Vendors that help customers solve broader operational challenges, not just security problems, will be best positioned to succeed. 

As violence, cyber threats and operational pressures continue to rise, the industry’s path forward will depend on collaboration between health care organizations, technology providers, public-sector partners and security professionals working toward the same goal: creating safer, more resilient environments where caregivers can focus on delivering care. 

Want more on this topic? You can watch the full symposium here.

In creating this blog, content from SIA’s Vertical Insights Health Care Security Symposium was summarized using large language models and reviewed by human editors.