Administrators across healthcare systems and other public-facing facilities are confronting a new reality at the front door. Entryways that were once designed primarily for visitor flow must now function as a critical security checkpoint, capable of identifying risks before they enter the building.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, healthcare workers experience workplace violence injuries at a rate five times higher than workers in other industries. As incidents continue to rise, policymakers and regulators are responding with stronger workplace safety mandates.
Understanding the Landscape
California’s Assembly Bill 2975 is a perfect example of the trends on the horizon. This legislation requires hospitals to strengthen workplace violence prevention programs and implement screening measures designed to reduce risks at entrances.
Yet, with separate, disconnected systems, capturing and sharing data in a way that is cost-effective and streamlined requires integrating visitor identity verification, concealed weapons detection screening, and compliance reporting into a single, streamlined workflow. No easy feat.
This is the single biggest challenge facing hospital security leaders today. And while AB 2975 applies specifically to California healthcare organizations, it is widely viewed as a signal of what is brewing in other states.
For security integrators, these changes mean that entryway design is no longer simply a matter of deploying standalone systems. Facilities increasingly expect entryway environments that combine identity verification, threat detection, and documentation capabilities in a way that supports both safety and compliance.
As you prepare for this new regulatory landscape, three considerations are emerging as especially important when designing compliant entryway security programs:
- Treat the Entryway as a Unified Security Workflow
Many facilities still operate with separate systems for visitor management and threat screening. While each technology serves an important purpose, treating them as isolated tools can create operational gaps.
Concealed weapons detection systems answer one question: whether an individual is carrying an object that may represent a threat. Visitor management platforms answer another: who the individual is and whether they are authorized to enter the facility.
When these systems function independently, security teams may lack the ability to connect screening alerts with identity records. In high-volume environments such as hospitals, this separation can slow incident response and complicate investigations.
A more effective approach treats the entryway as a single workflow rather than a collection of devices. In this model, visitors first verify their identity and register through a digital visitor management process before proceeding through the concealed weapons screening. Linking identity verification with weapons screening results allows security teams to view both pieces of information simultaneously before granting access.
For integrators, designing entryways as unified workflows rather than isolated technologies helps organizations close security gaps and gain a clearer picture of activity at the front door.
- Build Systems Streamline Compliance and Documentation
Workplace violence prevention programs increasingly require organizations to demonstrate how they monitor incidents, enforce security procedures and maintain oversight of their entryway policies.
In practice, this means facilities must be able to document who entered the building, what security screening occurred, and how security teams responded to potential threats. When systems operate independently, administrators may be forced to reconstruct events across multiple platforms.
Integrated entryway environments make this process significantly easier. When visitor records, weapons screening events and incident reports are connected within the same system, organizations can generate unified documentation that supports internal oversight and regulatory compliance.
For integrators, the ability to help clients produce clear, centralized reporting is becoming an essential component of entryway design. As regulations continue to evolve, documentation will play an increasingly important role in demonstrating that security policies are being consistently applied.
- Balance Security with Operational Efficiency
Hospitals, schools and large public facilities face a constant tension between safety and accessibility. Entryway security programs must detect potential threats while still allowing large volumes of visitors to move through the facility without excessive delays.
Operational efficiency, therefore, becomes a key design priority.
Technologies such as digital visitor pre-registration, automated badge printing, and streamlined concealed weapons screening processes can help reduce congestion at facility entrances. Coordinating visitor check-in with weapons screening procedures also helps ensure that security protocols occur in a logical sequence rather than creating multiple bottlenecks.
For integrators, the goal is to design entryway environments that strengthen security while preserving the welcoming and functional nature of the facility.
Research highlights why these systems matter. A 2024 study published in the National Library of Medicine examining hospital weapons screening programs found that approximately 4% of individuals screened at healthcare facility entrances were carrying a weapon. That finding underscores the importance of effective screening programs at the front door.
As workplace safety mandates expand and public facilities face growing pressure to prevent violence, the entryway itself is becoming one of the most important components of a facility’s security strategy.
For security integrators, the opportunity lies in helping organizations design integrated entryway systems: identity awareness, threat detection, and regulatory documentation, in a way that’s unified and streamlined.
Those who approach the entryway as a coordinated security environment—rather than a collection of independent technologies—will be best positioned to help clients meet the evolving safety expectations now taking shape across the country.
Christopher Ciabarra is the co-founder and chief technology officer/chief AI officer of Athena Security.
