Some DoD medical facilities found vulnerable to ‘violence, sabotage or terrorism’ – By Kyle Rempfer (Federal Times) / April 8 2020
An audit of eight military hospitals and clinics found security flaws that allowed unauthorized access to patient records and pharmacies, and left the facilities vulnerable to incidents of violence, sabotage or terrorism, according to a Pentagon inspector general report released this week.
Though the facilities “generally implemented physical security controls,” weaknesses were found at all eight locations, and the auditors concluded that similar vulnerabilities may also exist at other facilities operated by the Defense Health Agency.
The report cited recent security incidents at medical facilities —including a 2015 shooting near the William Beaumont Army Medical Center on Fort Bliss, Texas — that underlines the need for more stringent protocols. The rate of workplace violence is also four times higher for health care workers, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the Drug Enforcement Agency often warns of the propensity of criminals to target pharmacies for controlled substances.
None of the eight medical treatment facilities audited appear named in the redacted report. The auditors looked at the facilities’ use of security cameras, duress alarms, intrusion detection systems and badging methods to regulate entry to restricted areas.
Six of the eight treatment facilities allowed personnel access to restricted areas like pharmacies, even when they were not specifically authorized to visit those areas. All six had procedures for adding personnel to access control systems, but did not have procedures to ensure that access was revoked when no longer authorized.
“For example, we determined that three unauthorized personnel at a major medical center used a badge to access the narcotics vault,” the audit reads. “According to Army officials, security personnel removed vault access for the three unauthorized personnel as a result of our testing.”
Continue to article: https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-army/2020/04/08/some-dod-medical-facilities-found-vulnerable-to-violence-sabotage-or-terrorism/
