Single System Supports Emergency, Severe Weather, and Operational Communications
Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center Uses Everbridge as a Single System for All Critical Communications
<0> EverbridgeNicole Rowe, 781-373-9827 </0>
Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center, the largest Catholic hospital in New England, located in Hartford, Connecticut, has implemented Everbridge, the leading provider of critical communication solutions, to strengthen its internal and external communication strategy. With Everbridge, Saint Francis now has a single system for both emergency and non-emergency communications, such as severe weather, power disruptions, and polling/staffing quota notifications.
Critical communication plays an important role in the daily operations of many leading healthcare facilities like Saint Francis. In fact, this medical center, established in 1897, uses the Everbridge system regularly to ensure that all staffing requirements are met with polling/staffing quota capabilities, to connect key executives for critical decision-making with instant conference bridging, and to keep staff informed and safe during weather emergencies and power outages with emergency alerts.
To ensure that all staff members are prepared to perform at optimal levels during emergencies, Saint Francis hosts regular drills with the Everbridge system: “We use the Everbridge system in such a variety of scenarios, and it works for every situation we are faced with,” said Bob Falaguerra, vice president of Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center.
In addition, Saint Francis has been affected by several notable storms over the past few years, including Hurricane Irene and the Halloween nor’easter in 2011, Superstorm Sandy in 2012 and the February Blizzard earlier this year. Saint Francis used the Everbridge system during these life-threatening situations to keep staff safe and informed.
“For these events, Saint Francis utilized the Everbridge system to notify all employees of the pending storms, the preparations being taken, and that the severe weather policy was being activated. The Everbridge system was utilized to update individuals on staffing needs, provisions for staff pickup and return home, and updates on their patient population,” Falaguerra added. “During the Halloween snowstorm specifically, Saint Francis used the Everbridge system to manage power outages and notify employees, as well as stay in constant contact with the Regional Command Center in Manchester, Connecticut, and the Department of Public Health and other hospitals in the area. I think it’s a great system.”
“Communication is an important component to any emergency plan, but for hospitals that are trying to ensure the safety of not only staff but also exponential numbers of current and new patients, it’s critical,” said Imad Mouline, chief technology officer at Everbridge. “Saint Francis has taken a leadership role in its ability to streamline communications to combat the risk that is inherent in emergency situations and the daily operations of any healthcare facility.”
Everbridge provides critical communication solutions to more than 30 million end users in all major industries and government sectors around the globe. The Everbridge solutions suite allows clients to manage emergencies, mass notifications, incident communications, and situational intelligence from a single system. Ultimately, these solutions help clients save lives, manage critical activities and improve the efficiency of daily operations.