Hospitals have to do their jobs in violent neighborhoods more often than banks, fast food restaurants, universities, or high schools do, according to a study released jointly by CAP Index, Inc., and the International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety (IAHSS). CAP Index’s findings may help hospital security directors show senior management the need for site-specific crime risk and vulnerability forecasts, justify their security budgeting proposals, and allocate security manpower and technology.
In the study, CAP Index evaluated a variety of crime and demographic data related to 920 US hospitals. It found that 33% of the hospitals are situated in “very high risk” areas, meaning the likelihood of violent crime is at least three times the national average. Another 25% of hospitals are located in neighborhoods with “above average” violent crime (risk at least 1.25 times the national average). Only 25% of facilities experience “below average” risk.
In contrast, the study found that less than 20% of both fast food restaurants and banks, less than 25% of colleges and universities, and 15% of high schools operate under very high risk. Regional factors were also assessed, with the conclusion that hospitals in the South are more likely to be in high-risk neighborhoods than those located in the mid-Atlantic or New England. The number of crimes that actually take place on hospital grounds was not revealed. More information about crime statistics can be found at the National Crime Statistics Link Guide.
Based on a report from Corporate Security
