The Personal Duress Alarm System (PDAS) officially rolled out Wednesday at Coalinga State Hospital, the Department of State Hospitals confirmed on Wednesday.
The department has now deployed the system at three of five state hospitals. The system is scheduled to be implemented at Atascadero State Hospital in early 2016, according to a project update earlier this year.
The system is designed to improve the safety of hospital staff when they face aggression from patients. When an emergency occurs, a staff member can pull a tab on his or her wearable lanyard. The PDAS system, which utilizes a radio frequency identification-based, real-time system, then immediately broadcasts the staff member’s location to others via text message.
Jamie Mangrum, deputy director and CIO at the Department of State Hospitals, has said the PDAS system is the most fulfilling project of his career because it can save lives.
The $56 million PDAS project began in 2012.
