worcester VA med clinic has 4 armed federal cops

[Peteri Szerlagi]

from https://www.umassmed.edu/globalassets/public-safety/2023-clery-report-finalpdf.pdf

worcester massachusetts - at the chan medical school

SECTION 10: WORCESTER VA CLINIC Overview All policies and procedures
pertaining to Worcester Veterans Affairs, (VA) and other sites owned
and operated by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs can be found at
VA Policies . The Worcester VA is an outpatient clinic that offers
primary care and specialty health services, including laboratory
services, physical therapy, nutrition counseling, radiology, and more.
The information presented in this section is specific to the Worcester
VA Clinic located at mailing address 403 Belmont Street, 1st Floor,
Worcester, MA 01604 on the UMass Chan Medical Schools campus at 55
Lake Ave N, Worcester MA, 01655. As a hospital licensed by the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Public Health and
accredited by The Joint Commission, Commission on Accreditation of
Rehabilitation Facilities, and College of the American Pathologist,
the VA is required to develop and has developed an emergency
preparedness and a security program that protect staff, patients, and
visitors at each of its licensed facilities, as described below. The
Worcester VA operates its own Police Department, with a total staff of
four (4) armed personnel. These Police officers are chosen based on
their understanding of the role of security in health care. The VA’s
Police Department works closely with local law enforcement officials
as well as UMass Chan Medical School Police Department to maintain a
safe environment, proactively prevent incidents, and address any
incidents or concerns that may arise. VA police and local law
enforcement partners train together on skills and tactics such as
active threat drills, crisis intervention training, disaster response,
and more. All VA Police Department personnel are armed uniformed
federal law enforcement officers. They receive extensive training in,
among other things, non-violent crisis intervention, use of force,
patrol procedures, bomb threat and search techniques, civil
disturbance management, disaster plan procedures, and FEMA incident
command systems. VA Police practice Veteran Centric Policing, a model
through Voluntary Compliance and Visible Deterrence to protect and
serve Veterans and visitors alike. They provide law enforcement and
security services to Veterans and their families at VA medical centers
and other VA health facilities. Services include crime prevention and
investigation, maintaining law and order, vehicle and foot patrols,
telecommunication services, and workplace violence prevention. As a
part of its mission to “protect those who served,” VA police across
the country since 2023 use in-car and body-worn cameras. This policy
increases the safety of VA facilities by promoting transparency and
accountability. Timely Warnings and Notification of an Immediate
Threat: The Worcester VA Police Department works with UMass Chan
Police to issue alerts to the UMass Chan community, based on a
case-by-case review, with alerts being sent if there is a discernible
pattern of crime (e.g., property crimes in the vicinity) or if there
is otherwise an ongoing threat to the UMass Chan community. Such
alerts are issued to those who have opted into the Alert Media system,
an app that can be downloaded on a phone. In addition, UMass Chan is
able to issue an overhead announcement system in the event of an
imminent and ongoing threat. These alerts are disseminated with the
goal of notifying as many people as possible, as rapidly as possible.
All members of the UMass Chan and VA community are encouraged to opt
into this notification system. Texts of the notification system are
conducted quarterly. UMass Chan Medical School 55 Lake Avenue North,
Worcester, MA 01655 www.umassmed.edu 79 Emergency Response and
Evacuation Procedures: Consistent with state and federal requirements
and accreditation standards of The Joint Commission, and the Worcester
VA has developed a security management plan with local and state
police, as well as emergency operations plan those addresses in
detail, systems, procedures, and processes to ensure safety and
security of employees, patients, and visitors in the event of an
emergency or disaster. In addition, the VA Police Department policies
address specific types of events, including, but not limited to,
active shooter situations, emergency evacuations, and instances when
patients or visitors are displaying violent behavior. Facilities
Safety and Security: The Worcester VA Department personnel are present
during normal working hours and maintain a 24/7 presence with video
and electronic monitoring at the Worcester location. As health care
facilities, the VA and its satellites are open to Veterans, and
possible spouses, dependents or survivors for medical care. Worcester
VA ensures the security of its facilities in restricted areas during
regular hours and after hours at the satellites, and centralizing
points of access during certain hours, so that only those with
appropriate authority are granted access to its facilities. When
seeking care outside of the VA network in an emergency the Department
maintains a hotline number for notification at 1-844-724-7842 to
enable Veterans the proper care when needed. Key Contacts: Emergency:
Worcester VA: 911 Main phone: 508-856-0104 Mental health care:
413-584-4040, ext. 2336 VA website
https://www.va.gov/central-western-massachusetts-health-care/
locations/Worcester-VA-clinic/