St. Michael’s Hospital

Updated for the Future – Complete System Integration That’s Ready to Grow

PCSC Technology is among Honeywell’s Complete System Integration. Honeywell worked with St. Michael’s Hospital in downtown Toronto to give the facility a fully integrated system for building and security controls. By updating some elements and developing plans to integrate existing systems, managing the hospital’s building controls are easier than ever and security is improved for patients and staff.

The facility’s access control system initially comprised of PCSC’s legacy MicroLPM controllers. After many long years of service, the system was in need of upgrade to support the continued growth. Migration to PCSC’s IQ Series access control panels was the logical decision in this upgrade path.

Today, the system is being upgraded once more in an effort to take advantage of the latest in IP access solutions. PCSC’s patented Fault Tolerant (FT) controllers will be installed utilizing IP and PoE technologies. PCSC’s FT controllers provide the highest level of reliab ility with an automated process of system recovery for access control, alarm monitoring and output control systems.

The Customer
St. Michael’s Hospital is a nationally renowned teaching hospital in Toronto with over 550 beds. The hospital is one of two Level 1 adult trauma centers in the greater Toronto area. The hospital was founded on the goal of serving the sick and poor in Toronto’s inner city and caters to the diverse population of the city’s downtown core.

The Problem
Given the Hospital’s location and the diverse population they serve, security was a major concern for patients and staff. An aging VHS-based security dispatch center made it difficult to respond to situations quickly. St. Michael’s had fragmented building automation and security systems that impeded efficiency and often conflicted with each other. The dynamic work environment, with new floors and wings being added, outgrew the functionality of the existing building and security systems.

The Solution
Honeywell was the only vendor that was able to develop an integrated system that worked with all of St. Michael’s existing systems. An EBI (Enterprise Buildings Integrator™) system was installed for simple, single workstation monitoring and control of buildings, security and HVAC management, as well as asset tracking. The system is scalable and will be able to integrate new technologies—such as patient wandering and emergency remote alarm systems—as they are installed.

The upgrade to DVM (Digital Video Manager) in 2004 allowed all the existing analog video cameras in the facility to be reused and now HD IP PoE cameras are being used for new installations. This eliminated the need for the VCRs and tapes that were used in the existing system.

Key Technologies and Results

The comprehensive and flexible EBI building automation system was installed, providing simple monitoring and control of HVAC, and security management, as well as asset tracking. Honeywell included DVM and integrated digital video surveillance with the hospital’s enterprise IT network systems. PCSC access control panels were used throughout, resulting in trouble-free operation and low maintenance for long term use.

St. Michael’s was able to improve functionality of the hospital’s buildings and security systems. Better manage and understand its building systems, as well as optimize existing resources. Increased security and protection resulted in better monitoring and faster reaction times for issue resolution. Training time needed by the staff was reduced, as they only had one interface to learn.

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