Northwell Health equipping hospitals with high-tech weapon detectors
NEW YORK -- A new generation of metal detecting has rolled out across New York's largest health care provider.
Northwell Health is now screening for weapons following hospital shootings across the nation. CBS2's Carolyn Gusoff got a look at how the new system works.
You can walk into malls, department stores and even most schools without passing through a metal detector, and until now, most hospitals, too. But that's changing.
Northwell Health is equipping its hospitals with high-tech weapon detectors that make standard metal detectors look antique. It's a touchless system.
"We don't have to disrobe, like in the airport. We don't have to take our shoes off. We don't have to empty our pockets. People just walk through," said Scott Strauss, vice president of security for Northwell Health.
It's technology that's coming to public spaces near you. Evolv Express uses sensors ten times faster than metal detectors. They were installed at Jacobi Hospital after a gunman opened fire inside the emergency room in January.
Amid hospital shootings nationwide, Northwell says no one incident prompted this but rather the need for a deterrent.
"It's unfortunate that we are living in the world we are living in right now where violence is everywhere. Unfortunately, we have to deal with that. Whatever happens outside the hospital, we want to make sure it doesn't happen inside the hospital," Strauss said.
Yet they didn't want the bottlenecks airports are notorious for. This system can screen 60 people per minute.
It's a new normal few Gusoff asked had a problem with.
"They have their place -- airports, 100%," one person said. "A little more public, I think that's kind of where it's... there's a line."
"Better to be safe than sorry," another person said.
"I think we'll see these systems in most of our buildings, and why not?" Strauss said.
Northwell administration says it's part of a layered approach to gun violence, more than just stopping weapons at the door.
"It's educating our staff to identify issues and deescalate, and then it's working with our government for advocacy to try to create laws that provide a safe environment," said Dr. Michael Gitman, executive director of Long Island Jewish Medical Center.
The detectors are installed at LIJ, South Shore and Lenox Health Greenwich Village.
Northwell's plan is to equip all 21 of its hospitals with the system within a year. The cost is $32,000 per unit, plus additional for training and a subscription.
If a gun is detected, the visitor is asked to secure it in their car.