Visitors to Baptist Health hospitals and an outpatient surgery center in Montgomery, Ala., will be subject to new security measures that went into effect Nov. 19, Alabama News Network reports.
What you should know:
1. All visitors to Montgomery-based hospitals Baptist Medical Center East and Baptist Medical Center South, as well as Prattville (Ala.) Baptist Hospital, must now show a government-issued photo ID to check in.
2. Guest coordinators at Baptist Medical Center East will be stationed at the emergency department entrance and outpatient surgery area. At the other hospitals, they'll greet patients at emergency department entrances.
3. In addition to photo identification, guest coordinators will ask adult visitors to disclose which patient and location they're visiting.
4. The guest coordinator will scan IDs in a system called BadgePass, which is used in schools, businesses and other U.S. hospitals.
"Unfortunately, we live in a day and age where safety concerns can come from anywhere and happen at any time, and we hope to alleviate some of those concerns within the walls of Baptist Health hospitals," Baptist Health spokesperson Kadie Agnew told Alabama News Network.