Background

Alta Bates Summit Medical Center is a leading healthcare provider in the East Bay, serving patients with comprehensive medical services across multiple campuses. With patient safety and secure facility access as top priorities, leadership identified the need to modernize its entry intercom system. The Regional Director, spearheaded the initiative to ensure staff could monitor and manage access to key areas with improved functionality and reliability.

The Challenge

The medical center was relying on an outdated Aiphone intercom system that no longer met the facility’s operational or security needs. Staff required a reliable way to visually verify visitors and control door access across multiple points of entry.

Key challenges included:

• Aging hardware: The old system was outdated and lacked the video capability needed for secure verification.
  
• Limited functionality: Staff had no efficient way to manage access from multiple locations within the office.
  
• Security risks: Without video and modern intercom features, visitor screening was inefficient and less secure.
  

The medical center needed a solution that combined video verification with buzzer functionality, while integrating smoothly into daily operations.

Why Safe and Sound Security

Alta Bates Summit Medical Center selected Safe and Sound Security for their proven track record of modernizing intercom systems in sensitive, high-security environments such as healthcare facilities. Safe and Sound proposed an Aiphone video intercom system, delivering:

• Video verification: A modern video-based entry system enables staff to easily identify and manage visitors across key access points.
  
• Convenient control: Multiple intercom stations were deployed in strategic locations to enhance coordination and security oversight.
  
• Future-ready infrastructure: New cabling to support the updated intercom system, ensuring reliability and long-term performance.
  
• Trusted technology: Aiphone systems are well-regarded for durability, ease of use, and scalability in healthcare environments.
  

Results

With the installation of the new Aiphone intercom system, Alta Bates Summit Medical Center significantly improved its entry security and operational efficiency:

• Enhanced visitor verification: Staff can now see and communicate with visitors before granting access.
  
• Multi-location control: Three master stations provide flexibility, enabling multiple staff members to manage entry from different office areas.
  
• Improved safety: The addition of video capability strengthens the medical center’s ability to screen and secure access at its main entry.
  
• Reliable infrastructure: New wiring and updated components ensure the system performs consistently and reduces downtime.
  

By partnering with Safe and Sound Security, Alta Bates Summit Medical Center successfully modernized its access control process, ensuring a safer and more efficient environment for staff, patients, and visitors.

Looking Ahead

As the medical center continues to expand its services and patient care operations, security demands will grow alongside them. With the new Aiphone system in place, Alta Bates Summit Medical Center has a modern, scalable foundation for managing secure access. Future upgrades may include additional video intercoms, access control integrations, or expanded surveillance, ensuring staff always have the tools they need to protect patients and maintain operational efficiency.