Nashville, Tenn.-based Mental Health Cooperative has partnered with Rockville, Md.-based Silent Beacon, a safety technology company, to equip nearly 300 staff with wearable panic buttons.
The collaboration aims to enhance on-the-job safety for the company’s frontline mental health workers, many of whom respond to crises and conduct home visits throughout the community, according to a Nov. 9 news release. With a single touch, the devices can alert 911, notify supervisors and transmit a live GPS location in emergencies.
“Probably 90% of their work is actually out in the community, doing home visits. They’re in some locations that are very unfamiliar to them,” Traci Pekovitch, safety specialist at MHC, said. “Associates utilize the footsteps feature and communicate feeling safer knowing their supervisor knows where they are.”
MHC provides services including crisis intervention to more than 17,000 Tennesseans each month. The new devices are part of its effort to provide a safety net for staff in unpredictable care settings, the release said.
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