A Safer Future Begins With Psychological Safety

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Alert Buttons Are a Commitment to Team Member Well-Being

For Novant Health team members, safety is more than a protocol. It’s the foundation of compassionate care. In healthcare, unpredictable situations can arise in an instant, and only when team members feel secure can they focus fully on their patients. 

That’s where the Securitas Healthcare safety duress badges come in.

Thanks to Novant Health Foundation’s strong philanthropic community, we were able to invest in these alert buttons to help strengthen the well-being of team members to ensure they feel safe at work.

Heather Strange, director of nursing for behavioral health services in the Novant Health Triad Region, has witnessed the risks firsthand. “You can picture yourself alone in a room with a patient down a long hallway,” she said. “Something could happen at any moment, and you’re vulnerable without a way to call for help. These badges provide not just help, but peace of mind.” 

Peace of mind is at the heart of psychological safety, and it directly affects how team members deliver care. “If you have team members walking around scared all the time, they’re distracted. Patients can feel that,” Strange explained. “But when staff feel safe, patients feel safer, too. That environment supports healing.”

By responding to Novant Health team member feedback and strengthening safety through tools like the alert buttons, Novant Health is directly investing in the well-being of its caregivers through Novant Health Foundation. The result is more than physical protection: It is the ability for nurses, techs and physicians to bring their best selves to the bedside.

How the Alert Buttons Work

Small and discreet, the safety badge clips onto a team member’s uniform or badge holder. With one double-press, the Securitas Healthcare personal alert device silently signals for help, and a vibration lets the wearer know their call has gone through. The signal routes to the Novant Health Protective Services Operations Center (PSOC), which then dispatches protective services officers directly to the location.

Jim Finn, vice president of protective services, emphasized the importance of speed. “When the badge is activated, our PSOC sees the exact location of the team member on a grid. Officers are dispatched immediately, and, in most cases, response time is under 30 seconds.”

Protective services often enter the scene without knowing what they’ll face. “It’s a blind call,” Finn said. “We don’t get verbal details, just location. That is why multiple officers respond, so that we can ensure safety as quickly as possible.”

Beyond response, Finn emphasized that the technology itself had to be meticulously prepared before launch. “It wasn’t just about buying a device,” he explained. “We had to make sure the Wi-Fi and infrastructure in every building could handle pinpoint tracking. We tested repeatedly to confirm the accuracy. Reliability is nonnegotiable.” 

He also noted that the system works to de-escalate situations before they become crises. “The goal is to prevent escalation. Just the presence of protective services arriving quickly can shift the dynamic.”

Support at the Bedside

For psychiatric technicians like Leo Paschall, psychological safety is not an abstract idea — it’s part of daily life. “You never know what you are walking into,” he said. “Patients are often in crisis. Just knowing I have a tool I can press if things escalate changes how I carry myself.”

Paschall shared that before the arrival of safety badges, he sometimes noticed hesitation creeping in with his co-workers during tense moments. “That hesitation can make a situation worse,” he said. “Now, the badge is a safety net. It reinforces that we do not have to face unsafe situations alone.”

The presence of the badge has also changed how team members support one another.

"When one of us presses it, we all know help is coming. That sense of solidarity, that we are never alone, builds trust across the team."

Leo Paschall

senior psychiatric technician, Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center, behavioral health

That same sense of assurance is felt in the emergency department. “Our team members come to work with more peace of mind,” said Christine Roberts, nurse manager, Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center emergency department, behavioral health. “They know they are not alone if a situation turns volatile. That confidence translates directly into how they care for patients.” 

Team morale has also lifted, with staff knowing that pressing the badge means help will come quickly, strengthening trust and reinforcing that no one has to face challenging moments alone.

This ripple effect, from caregiver to patient, is why donor support matters. By equipping team members with tools like these wearable personal alert buttons, Novant Health is improving safety, building trust and elevating the quality of every patient encounter.

Looking Ahead

The safety alert badge implementation began at Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center as a pilot initiative, but its vision reaches far beyond a single facility. Because of donor support through the Novant Health Foundation, it is being expanded to every Novant Health acute care hospital and tertiary care center, ensuring that more team members feel supported and protected. 

Roberts, an emergency department manager, became visibly emotional when reflecting on the day-to-day impact of the badges. “The badge shows our people that leadership listened to them,” she said. “It is proof that their voices matter and that their well-being is a priority, and we are deeply grateful to the donors who made it possible.”