Children’s Minnesota issues safety commitment statement

MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL (July 27, 2022) – Children’s Minnesota is committed to the safety of our staff, patients and community, which is paramount to our mission to champion the health needs of all families. In recent weeks, we have experienced several security incidents around our Minneapolis hospital campus which have raised concerns about increased violence that has become a threat to our community. Our efforts to improve our level of safety are ongoing and continuous. We are also committed to the betterment of the communities in which we live and work. 

Children’s Minnesota has robust security practices which we continue to improve. We have an imperative to do everything we can to stop any further increase in violence. We are actively working with local leaders on opportunities to improve safety and health in our community, including gun violence prevention initiatives. Children’s Minnesota has already taken several steps to enhance our security practices, including but not limited to:

Thirty new cameras around campus.
Shatter resistant film on all lower-level windows.
Limited entry and exit points.
Duress and lockdown buttons to call security installed on several units and within departments.
Security in parking ramps.
Escorts to and from buildings and vehicles by security, 24/7 within two blocks of campus.
24/7 on-site security.
Additional security call boxes.
Run, Hide and Fight training in hospital departments.
Code Yellow lockdown training.
Workplace Violence Prevention module as part of annual mandatory training.
Community partnerships to support gun violence prevention

About Children’s Minnesota

Children’s Minnesota is one of the largest pediatric health systems in the United States and the only health system in Minnesota to provide care exclusively to children, from before birth through young adulthood. An independent and not-for-profit system since 1924, Children’s Minnesota is one system serving kids throughout the Upper Midwest at two free-standing hospitals, nine primary care clinics, multiple specialty clinics and seven rehabilitation sites. As The Kids Experts^TM in our region, Children’s Minnesota is regularly ranked by U.S. News & World Report as a top children’s hospital.