John T. Mather Memorial Hospital in Long Island, N.Y., recently completed upgrades to its security system that will help in a regional emergency, according to an article on the Times Beacon Record website.
The improvements include advanced surveillance cameras and a card reader to restrict access to one area of the hospital, spokesman Stuart Vincent said in the article.
Mather received $75,000 in federal funds for the improvements earlier this year. The grant was part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) 2011 Urban Area Security Initiative Nonprofit Security Grant Program, which provides preparedness funding to nonprofits "that are at high risk of a terrorist attack," according to FEMA's website.
Vincent said Mather works on preparedness exercises and training and meets monthly with county health and emergency management officials to talk about what is happening in the county and regionally that could create an emergency situation. That includes dangerous weather or entertainment or sporting events that draw large crowds.
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