Franciscan Health Olympia Fields partners with Athena Security

Athena Security announced Franciscan Health Olympia Fields hospital in Chicago's South Suburbs is enhancing the protection of staff and patients from outside threats with Athena Security's weapons detection platform.

"As healthcare staff, we know all too well the violence that happens in our place of work," said Agnes Therady, PhD, Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer for Franciscan Alliance. "We can all give a collective sigh of relief that Athena Security is always on, always looking out to keep us protected while we care for our beloved community."

Raymond A. Martinez, Director of Public Safety and Security at Franciscan Health Olympia Fields, said the system effectively detects various types and levels of threats on a regular basis that could not otherwise be detected by security officers alone.

"It was clear that Athena Security's no-frills approach could immediately fortify our campus," said Raymond A. Martinez, Director of Public Safety and Security at Franciscan Health Olympia Fields. "Our staff is excited to deploy more of Athena's solutions throughout the campus."

Headquartered in Mishawaka, Ind., Franciscan Alliance is one of the largest Catholic health care systems in the Midwest, with 12 hospital campuses in Indiana and Illinois, including Franciscan Health Olympia Fields, more than 19,000 employees, and a number of nationally recognized Centers of Health Care Excellence.

"Athena Security is very pleased to ensure the safety of patients and staff at Franciscan Health Olympia Fields with the addition of our AI weapons detection platform to support security operations and processes," said Michael Green, Athena Security CEO. "Alerting security staff to firearms, knives, and tasers, as well as non-cooperative visitors, the Athena Security system can allow cell phones and car keys to pass, decreasing the number of people detained for further inspection."

Martinez said Franciscan Alliance is considering the adoption of the system at other locations after the successful deployment at the Olympia Fields campus. Once comprehensive risk assessments are conducted and other key statistical data is reviewed, deployment strategies will be examined to determine which locations could benefit from the Athena deployment.

"Deploying a weapons detection platform that works out of the box with software and analytics and is low profile from a perception standpoint are all critical components to achieve the balance that we were looking for as an organization," Martinez said.