Weapons Detection Screening
General Information
The safety and security of our providers, team members, faculty, staff, students and patients are a top priority at VCU Health. No one should feel unsafe coming to work or coming for care. As such, everyone entering into our hospitals and clinics will need to pass through a weapons detection screening station. This security measure is non-invasive, fast moving and similar to what people experience when attending events at entertainment venues and other public facilities.
Thank you for your support and understanding.
Frequently Asked Questions
Implementation for phase 1 will start at 9 a.m. on Monday, August 28, 2023.
Installation of the screening equipment will begin on August 24 at Critical Care Hospital ground floor and the Gateway Building lobby.
Implementation of the remaining various medical center locations will be staggered until completion on September 18, 2023.
Screening at VCU Health Tappahannock Hospital will begin on Wednesday, November 1.
- Gateway Ground Lobby and Critical Care Hospital (CCH) ground visitor entry - 8/28/23
- North Hospital ground lobby and Ambulatory Care Center (ACC) valet main entry - 8/31/23
- Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU (CHoR) tower and pavilion - 9/5/23
- Bridge connectors McGlothlin Medical Education Center (MMEC)-to-Main 1 & Sanger Hall-to-Nelson 2 - 9/5/23
- Virginia Treatment Center for Children and CHoR Brook Road - 9/7/23
- VCU Health Tappahannock Hospital & VCU Health Community Memorial Hospital - 9/11/23
- VCU Health Adult Outpatient Pavilion - 9/18/23
- D Deck - 9/18/23
Badge access restrictions are being heightened for all entrances that do not have weapon screening. Most alternative entries into the environment will become Emergency exit ONLY, and should not be used for entry into the facility.
There could be a brief wait upon arrival to the screening station, however the goal is to minimize wait time as much as possible. Equipment allocations and location determinations were made to help offset the volume and wait time.
Not necessarily. If there are no prohibited items (or perceived prohibited items) in your belongings, you will be able to move through the screening station holding your bag/purse/backpack/briefcase.
If an alert is triggered during your initial pass-through, you will be asked to remove any bags/purses/backpacks/briefcases to allow the security officer at the station to conduct a manual wand search, and then you will be asked to pass through the screening station again.
No, x-ray imaging is not used. Individuals will be able to pass through the screening station WITH their belongings. Bags/Belongings won't have to be removed unless the screening device alerts that something was sensed, at which point the prior step mentioned above should be followed.
These screening units are non-invasive, fast moving and similar to what people experience when attending events at entertainment venues and other public facilities. Items such as cell phones, keys, coins, wallets, etc. will NOT need to be removed.
Items that WILL likely need to be removed and passed to the security officer outside of the screening station include: laptops, tablets, iPads, large metal drink containers (i.e. larger than 20+ ounces), etc.
No, individuals will not be asked to remove any clothing from their bodies - manual wands will help to facilitate targeted scanning when/if needed, and verbal communication with the security officer will help to pinpoint where sensors might be picking something up.
Yes, implanted devices should not trigger the system to alert. As mentioned above, metal detection wands will be present at each station for more targeted scanning as needed or may be necessary.
Resources
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact VCU Health Security leadership at SecuritySupervisors@vcuhealth.org.