Mental health unit at KHSC rolls out the welcome mat with new Security Ambassador role

Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC) has launched a first-of-its-kind ambassador role in its Mental Health and Addiction Care (MHAC) program, a welcoming presence for patients and families that also adds an extra layer of safety for everyone in the Burr 4 mental health and addictions inpatient unit at KHSC.

From 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, a Security Ambassador now staffs the Central Monitoring Station at the front entrance to Burr 4.  A security professional with additional training in mental health, addiction and stigma issues, the Security Ambassador greets visitors, provides information about the unit, helps people access lockers for safekeeping of possessions and ensures that all safety and screening precautions are met before admitting visitors onto the floor.

While the role also involves supporting Burr 4 staff through a dedicated response to incidents, emergency codes and other assistance as needed, its main goal to create a positive patient and family-centred care experience.

"Security with a friendly face"

Any visitor can feel nervous or uncertain in the hospital setting, but those feelings can escalate when you have to navigate a unit that must be secured for safety reasons, says Anne O’Riordan, a Patient Experience Advisor who helped the MHAC team flesh out the Ambassador role.

“The presence of a Security Ambassador aims to change that experience for the better, especially for newcomers to the MHAC program,” she says. “Now there will be a human touch right from the moment the visitor or patient arrives.  This is about security with a friendly face.”

If asked about their role, the new Security Ambassadors explain that they are present for the security and safety of everyone, says Josh Turner, Security Coordinator for Kingston Hospitals Protection Services. 

“We want people to feel that they’re in a hospital, not in a jail,” he explains.  “We’re hoping that patients and families benefit from an extra layer of comfort and continuity as they move in and out of the unit because they’re regularly face to face with a Security Ambassador.”

The Security Ambassador project, along with the Centralized Monitoring Station, was originally conceptualized prior to the pandemic but put on hold due to visitor restrictions. 

“We’re so pleased to proceed,” says Nicholas Axas, MHAC Program Operational Director. “This is a truly collaborative effort across several hospital teams who all have the same goal of ensuring people are treated with compassion, fairness and professionalism.”