LEWES, Del. - Beebe Healthcare will begin using wearable safety technology designed to help protect frontline caregivers, beginning in its Emergency Department and rolling out across the health system through the fall.
The not-for-profit health system has partnered with Canopy to deploy Canopy Protect, a connected workplace safety platform. Approximately 1,500 frontline staff members were given the buttons to wear. When activated, the device instantly alert nearby co-workers and security personnel that help is needed, according to Canopy.
Canopy said the rollout began July 28 at Beebe's Lewes Campus Emergency Department, where President and CEO Dr. David Tam and Chief Nursing Officer Kathy Tregear distributed the first devices to nurses, clinicians and staff. The program is expected to expand across the remainder of the Lewes Campus, the Abessinio Health Campus, including the Specialty Surgical Hospital and Tunnell Cancer Center, and Beebe's South Coastal Health Campus in Millville by the end of the fall.
"Every person who comes to work at Beebe deserves to feel safe and supported while caring for our community," said David A. Tam, MD, MBA, CPHE, FACHE, President & CEO of Beebe Healthcare. "Supporting the safety and wellbeing of our caregivers ultimately helps us provide the highest quality care to the patients and families who depend on us."
Canopy said the initiative comes as healthcare systems continue to address workplace violence against caregivers. Delaware lawmakers approved legislation in 2022 making assault on a healthcare worker a second-degree felony and passed additional protections this year allowing staff to temporarily detain people who pose a safety risk while awaiting law enforcement.
Beebe said it is prioritizing distribution of the wearable buttons based on its own workplace violence data, therefore patient-facing departments will receive the devices first. The announcement said that Beebe plans to track outcomes closely, including alert response times and worker's compensation claims to determine the platform's impact.
