The Safety, Security, and Emergency Management Teams at Leesburg Regional Medical Center and The Villages® Regional Hospital have been named number 23 on the 2018 Security 500 Report by Security Magazine. In fact, the teams surpassed last year's ranking, moving up from number 31 on the list in 2017.

The report showcases the security profession's leading organizations and programs by collecting a number of statistics each year. These include security spending, the number of security employees and officers, incidents of criminal nature and measures for decreasing these incidents over time, the number of new initiatives engaged each year, and more.

"I take a lot of lessons from the community policing model, which includes policing through customer service," says Ryan King, manager of safety, security, and emergency management and Central Florida Health. "We realize that people come into our facilities under stress. Chances are, they are having a bad day and we have the opportunity to help turn it around."

Central Florida Health employs 45 security officers who work closely with clinical leaders at both Leesburg Regional Medical Center and The Villages® Regional Hospital in addition to local law enforcement, emergency medical services personnel and the state and county Department of Health.

"With each new day, there is a new challenge," continued King. "Healthcare is exciting and quickly evolving. I often say that all roads lead to the hospital and it is an honor to serve our communities in this way."