One Touch Connects Cleveland Clinic Caregivers to Safety Services

Healthcare professionals are accustomed to responding to medical emergencies – but even the most experienced caregivers can find themselves unprepared when faced with personal safety issues and other nonclinical crises.

To better protect its more than 80,000 employees and streamline the reporting of safety events, Cleveland Clinic has implemented a new mobile app designed to connect caregivers with appropriate medical and nonmedical emergency resources.

“Our new StaySafe app provides fast, seamless access to expert support by enabling caregivers to instantly report safety- and security-related issues,” explains Commander Dan Thompson of the Cleveland Clinic Police Department.

Customized support

Among the app’s principal features are six rapid-response tiles:

• Emergency – StaySafe is geofenced to Cleveland Clinic locations, ensuring that any calls placed through the app connect to a site-specific emergency number. The emergency button will automatically route the emergency alert to Cleveland Clinic’s Police Department or security office, or the local police.
• Cardiac/respiratory emergency – This tile activates a cardiac/respiratory code by connecting callers directly to an operator nearest their location
• Rapid response – This tile allows callers to request support for non-cardiac and non-respiratory medical emergencies.
• Safety escort – Caregivers at select Cleveland Clinic locations can use this feature to request a ride from Safety Services. Safety escorts – typically police or safety officers – are available year-round, 24 hours a day.
• “See something, say something” – This button gives caregivers the opportunity to report safety concerns, suspicious activity and other non-emergency issues. The app also allows reporters to submit photo and video attachments.
• Safety timer – This feature allows caregivers to set a timer before embarking on any activity that may put them at risk, such as walking late at night. If the safety timer hits 0:00 before the caregiver enters their PIN, their emergency contacts are notified. This feature can be used anywhere, on or off site.

“With StaySafe, there’s no need to look up a phone number, Google anything or scroll through your contacts,” explains Thompson. “You can simply open the app, slide the button across the screen and immediately connect with the correct emergency dispatch line.”

Because it can pinpoint the user’s location, the app eliminates the guesswork of trying to determine which safety resources are nearby, Thompson says.

“The app handles the details so you can turn your attention to the situation at hand,” he says. “Under normal circumstances, requesting a safety escort, initiating a medical code and reporting an emergency would require you to call three different numbers. Now, all you need to do is open the app and touch the appropriate tile. Within seconds, help is on the way.”

Making safety accessible

Although StaySafe was primarily created for caregivers, anyone on a Cleveland Clinic campus can download and use the app to report an emergency or contact police. The tool can even be used anywhere in the United States to instantly dial 911.

Currently geofenced for more than 80 Cleveland Clinic locations, the app will soon include site-specific safety and emergency resources for all Cleveland Clinic hospitals, clinics and offices across the country, including its family health centers, ambulatory surgery centers, free-standing emergency departments and administrative buildings.

“We want our caregivers to know that we prioritize their safety,” adds Thompson. “StaySafe is just another way that we can demonstrate our commitment to the well-being of our employees – and all those who seek care at our institution.”