Chicago, IL - Northwestern Memorial Hospital (NMH), one of the most respected healthcare facilities in the nation, embarked upon a mission to consolidate and improve their comprehensive medical facilities in the heart of the downtown Chicago. Since horizontal expansion was impossible, NMH chose instead to grow vertically, redeveloping a 2-million square foot campus around two high-rise structures (the 17-story Feinberg Inpatient Pavillion and the 22-story Galter Outpatient Pavillion).

Protecting patients, medical staff and visitor in a “vertical” complex of this size and sophistication required new thinking and an integrated approach to security.
NMH chose SAKO. The SAKO project team focused on all three critical elements of security: the physical layout and construction of the buildings; the technical security systems; and the operational policies and procedures followed by the NMH security staff.

What resulted was the establishment of a “best practice” security standard for urban hospitals. From surveillance and electronic monitoring of parking facilities to application of leading-edge access control technology to security staffing and operational procedures, SAKO developed and implemented a master plan that not only raised the bar for NMH security but also provided for future growth and evolution of their security program.