First in the market to integrate screening technology to measure temperatures at entrances to the hospital

(Sharon, PA)  April 23, 2020 -  Sharon Regional Medical Center announced today that they have incorporated state-of-the-art screening technology used to measure the temperature of individuals entering the hospital property.  The Dual Spectrum Body Temperature Measurement Camera System, distributed by InVid Tech, a security equipment provider based out of New York, NY, can accurately read the temperatures of multiple people simultaneously, per second with an accuracy of <0.54 Degrees F.  Sharon Regional is one of the first health care facilities in the country to invest in this type of state-of-the-art screening system. 

Stated Jerel Humphrey, interim president of Sharon Regional Medical Center, “In response to the current COVID-19 pandemic, Sharon Regional opted to make the investment in this screening technology to provide an additional layer of safety for our patients, visitors, employees and medical staff.  We are confident that this system will provide another tool in our ongoing commitment to prevent the spread of this disease in our community”. 

Body temperature technology has most recently been installed in entrances within schools, airports, prisons and other public places with a large flow of people to conduct rapid temperature screening. 

Sharon Regional has cameras installed at both main entrances to the hospital, including at the East State Street entrance and at the security screening area at the entrance to the Emergency Care Center and Outpatient Registration. 

The body temperature cameras are not medical devices to diagnose COVID-19, but they are integrated with thermal imaging and temperature measuring that can identify individuals showing a higher than average temperature, relative to a sample population. The cameras use facial detection to detect individuals from a distance between 9 to 16 feet.  This means that groups of individuals can pass through the detection area at one time with a small margin of error.  

The system is programmed to display individual temperatures which allows screeners to identify an abnormal temperature defined as over the 100.1-degree threshold.  If the system does detect an individual with an elevated temperature, the individual will be rescreened manually to determine if a medical screening is to be conducted in the Emergency Care Center.

According to Elias Shattahi, M.D., board-certified infection disease physician with Steward Medical Group and on staff at Regional Medical Center, “The presence of a fever is one of the most common symptoms of the disease.   By restricting people that have a fever from entering the hospital, this substantially decreases the likelihood that the virus will be spread to employees and other patients and/or visitors in the hospital.”

Sharon Regional had previously taken additional steps to protect patients, visitors and health care workers including the following:

Implementation of a no visitor policy,  with exceptions considered for pediatric patients, Mother/Baby, end of life situation and other patient circumstances.

Requiring that all individuals wear a face mask when entering all Sharon Regional and Steward Medical Group locations.   

Continuing to enforce social distancing.

In order to keep our Emergency Care Center as free from COVID-19 as we possibly can, patients are asked to first call their primary care provider if they are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or have been exposed and continue to urge individuals to stay home and self-quarantine unless they are in need of medical assistance.   Testing at Sharon Regional is done on a referral only basis from the primary care physician or on a limited basis, as ordered by the emergency room physician.

For more information on the temperature screening system or other COVID-19 preventative measures implemented at Sharon Regional Medical Center, contact the marketing and community relations office at 724-983-7474.

DISCLAIMER: InVid Tech products are not medical devices and cannot diagnose coronavirus infection. When configured correctly, the InVid Tech products discussed here can identify individuals showing higher than average temperature relative to a sample population. Only a licensed medical professional can determine if a “hot” individual is experiencing an abnormal medical condition.  

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About Sharon Regional Medical Center
Sharon Regional Medical Center has provided health care services to the region for more than 123 years. Mercer County’s largest hospital and health care system consists of a 184-bed Joint Commission accredited hospital, along with 20 satellite centers in Sharon, Hermitage, Mercer, New Castle, PA and in Hubbard, OH. Sharon Regional offers specialized services as Mercer County’s only certified chest pain center, primary stroke center, open heart/angioplasty/ heart care center.  Additional services include Behavioral Health, Breast Care, Cancer Care, Diabetes, Emergency Care, Sleep Medicine, Sports Medicine, School of Nursing, School of Radiography, Women’s Center and Wound & Hyperbaric Therapy Center.  For more information, visit www.sharonregionalmedical.org .

About Steward Health Care System
Steward Health Care is the largest private, tax-paying physician-led health care network in the United States. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Steward operates 37 hospitals in the United States and the country of Malta that regularly receive top awards for quality and safety. The company employs approximately 42,000 health care professionals. The Steward network includes multiple urgent care centers and skilled nursing facilities, substantial behavioral health services, over 7,900 beds under management, and approximately 2.2 million full risk covered lives through the company's managed care and health insurance services.

The Steward Health Care Network includes 5,000 physicians across 800 communities who help to provide more than 12 million patient encounters per year. Steward Medical Group, the company's employed physician group, provides more than six million patient encounters per year. The Steward Hospital Group operates hospitals in Malta and nine states across the U.S., including Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Utah.