HAGERSTOWN, MD – Brook Lane, Inc., a mental and behavioral health care facility with locations in Washington and Frederick counties, has deployed new safety technology in the hospital, administration building, maintenance shop, Partial Hospitalization Programs, all three outpatient offices, and both Laurel Hall School locations. In doing so, Brook Lane will be the first hospital in the state of Maryland to implement a Bluetooth-based duress-alerting system to every employee to get them help faster, when they need it, wherever they are working.
Workplace violence has been on the rise in U.S. health care settings during the COVID-19 pandemic. Health care workers are four times more likely to be verbally or physically abused than workers in private industry, according to The Joint Commission’s Sentinel Event Alert on the issue. The health care standards and accreditation organization also said that the problem is likely far bigger than statistics indicate, because incidents are “grossly underreported.” This year, Congress took on the issue with the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, which passed the House of Representatives in April.
Commure Strongline, healthcare’s purpose-built staff safety solution, includes a portable alert button that acts as a beacon, identifying the location of any individual who triggers the alarm and simultaneously summoning nearby coworkers and security personnel for help. All employees, including clinical staff that have one-on-one interaction with patients and clients, as well as educational, support, and administrative staff, will be protected with their own badge. Commure Strongline is currently in use by frontline, patient-facing employees at leading health systems around the country.
“One of the main pillars in our organizational strategic plan addresses employee engagement and satisfaction,” said Jeffery D. O’Neal, CEO of Brook Lane. “There is no better way to invest in your staff than to focus on a culture of safety for those who work hard every day to help others on their mental health journey of hope, healing and recovery. Commure Strongline will help us achieve this goal.”
Commure Strongline badges have small buttons that staff can discreetly press to alert nearby coworkers and security personnel to their precise real-time location for support with violence de-escalation. This enables assistance to be deployed more rapidly and accurately than standard wall-mounted or computer-based alarms.
“When healthcare employees feel safe at work, it can have an immense positive impact on employee experience, patient outcomes, and overall organizational success,” said Saurabha Bhatnagar, MD, chief health officer of Commure. “With caregiver burden and burnout on the rise, it’s more important than ever that health systems prioritize workforce safety as a strategic investment in their people.”
About Brook Lane:
Brook Lane is western Maryland’s largest, non-profit mental health system. The main campus in Hagerstown, MD is home to the second largest freestanding psychiatric hospital in Maryland, serving children, adolescents, and adults. Brook Lane provides partial hospitalization services for both adults and children and operates Title 1 special education schools in Washington County and Frederick County. Brook Lane’s three outpatient locations offer psychiatry services and therapy for all ages. Our THRIVE program provides children with special needs psychiatric care, as well as physical, occupational and speech therapy services. The Brook Lane InSTEP program provides outpatient and intensive outpatient treatment options for individuals with substance use treatment needs.
About Commure Strongline:
Commure Strongline is a powerfully simple duress-alerting badge, purpose-built to enable health systems to de-escalate violence, improve safety, and ultimately boost retention. Commure Strongline sits proudly as a ready-to-launch solution on Commure’s operating system and suite of original applications, all designed to connect, protect, and empower the healthcare workforce.
