Southwest Healthcare System
Learn how a massive healthcare system leveraged wearable technology and real-time analytics to protect 8,200+ employees and reclaim 15,000 minutes of response time.
Results at a glance
decrease in battery incidents in year 1
faster incident response times
of response time saved organization-wide
sq/ft of total campus coverage, including parking structures
When workplace violence threatens staff retention
In the high-pressure environment of nursing, workplace violence is a critical issue that threatens both staff well-being and operational stability. Prior to partnering with Canopy, this Southwest Healthcare System faced a troubling safety culture where frequent battery incidents led to high anxiety and low morale among the 8,200+ employees.
Operating in areas with elevated crime rates, staff often felt vulnerable and undervalued due to lengthy security response times and a sense that they were unsupported by the organization during critical moments. The system required a solution that moved beyond simple policy changes toward a proactive, data-driven safety model that could protect frontline workers where they were most at risk.
"Within an hour and a half of us deploying the badges, we had an incident... it was unbelievable that this worked this fast, that quickly, and we wanted everybody in the organization to know."
The impact
Vulnerability to empowerment, the measurable impact of Canopy
The implementation of Canopy’s technology delivered a profound impact, achieving a 30% reduction in battery incidents within the first year alone. By deploying wearable buttons and a comprehensive gateway network, the system extended protection across 2.3 million square feet, including high-risk areas like parking lots and emergency departments.
This increased coverage, paired with real-time incident alerts, improved response efficiency by 20%, resulting in a cumulative 15,000-minute decrease in response times across the organization. These measurable improvements not only ensured that security could intervene before situations escalated but also boosted the perception of the health system as a "Great Place to Work," ultimately enhancing both staff retention and recruitment.
"We knew we couldn't eliminate workplace violence entirely, but we could certainly prevent the harm coming to our team members. We wanted them to feel empowered, not monitored. Once we rolled it out, you could feel the shift—they finally felt safer."
