CPE Offerings

Panel Discussion: Building Defensible Healthcare Security Technology Standards Through Cross-Functional Collaboration

Healthcare security professionals are frequently challenged to justify security technology decisions, whether it's placing a camera in a waiting room, securing a particular door with access control, or specifying infrastructure and equipment standards for a new facility. This panel discussion explores the development of a comprehensive Security Technology Design Document created to provide a standardized, evidence-based framework for healthcare security technology planning, design, installation, and budgeting.

Developed through collaboration among security leadership, facilities design and construction professionals, technology vendors, IT stakeholders, and regulatory guidance from organizations such as IAHSS, The Joint Commission, state health agencies, and industry best practices, the document establishes consistent design, equipment, and installation standards across healthcare environments.

Panelists will share perspectives from security, construction/project management, and technology integration, highlighting how cross-functional collaboration helped create practical, defensible standards that improve safety, streamline decision-making, support compliance efforts, and reduce project ambiguity. The discussion will also showcase the development of a security technology budgeting calculator that enables project managers to produce more accurate cost estimates and secure project funding with greater confidence.

Panelists:

Stephanie McGuire-Abate, Manager, Security Technology, Yale New Haven Hospital

Bio: Stephanie McGuire Abate has been dedicated to healthcare for over twenty years, beginning her career in 2003 as a college freshman and growing into a seasoned leader in healthcare public safety and security technology. With a BS in Business Management and an MA in Healthcare Administration, Stephanie joined healthcare public safety in 2007 and transitioned into security technology leadership in 2017.

In her current position at Yale New Haven Hospital, Stephanie oversees an expansive integrated physical security system at the fourth largest hospital in the nation. Her program spans multiple campuses, hundreds of ambulatory clinics, and outpatient facilities, uniting technologies such as access control, video management, intrusion detection, weapons detection, visitor management, infant protection, and panic device systems. Stephanie also has nearly a decade of experience in security design for healthcare construction and renovation projects.  Her work includes designing and integrating security technologies, with a focus on safety, functionality and operational needs. 

A proud member of the Connecticut Chapter of IAHSS, Stephanie serves on the board as Treasurer.

Adam Tarfano, RA, Senior Project Manager, Facilities Design & Construction, Yale New Haven Health System

Bio: Adam Tarfano, RA is a Senior Project Manager in the Facilities Design and Construction Department at Yale New Haven Health, where he oversees the planning, design, and construction of healthcare facility projects across the health system. With more than 20 years of experience in architecture and construction, he has managed projects ranging from complex, multi-phased renovations and infrastructure upgrades to strategic initiatives supporting clinical operations and growth.

A licensed Connecticut Architect, Adam brings experience from both the design and construction sides of the industry. Prior to joining Yale New Haven Health, he managed healthcare and higher education projects with Quisenberry Arcari Architects and Centerbrook Architects, and later served as a Project Manager with Petra Construction Corporation, where he guided projects from schematic design through construction administration with a focus on quality, coordination, and constructability.

Adam earned a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Norwich University and is committed to delivering practical, high-quality solutions that balance operational needs, stakeholder priorities, and the long-term goals of the organization.

Michael Parks, Regional Account Executive, Johnson Controls

Bio: Michael Parks is an Account Executive for Johnson Controls Security Solutions, where he has spent the past 18 years helping organizations address their security technology needs, with a particular focus on healthcare.

His day-to-day mission includes helping organizations identify and address their evolving security challenges, as well as planning, budgeting, and managing security technology project implementations and service.

Michael has been an active member of the Connecticut ASIS #005 Chapter for the past 15 years and had served on the chapter board for 10 of those years (2012-2022), including serving as Chapter Chair in 2017.

Key Takeaways:

• Developing defensible security technology standards rooted in industry guidance and best practices
• Aligning security, facilities, IT, and vendor stakeholders around a common design framework
• Creating consistent security technology deployments across healthcare facilities
• Improving capital planning through accurate security technology budgeting methodologies
• Demonstrating the value of a collaborative approach to healthcare security design

Where: Hartford HealthCare Training Center, 9 Farm Springs Road, Farmington, CT 06032

Date/Time:  October 1, 2026; 11 AM to 1 PM

Lunch Sponsored by:

1.0 CPE will be provided for ASIS Certifications

To Register go to: CONASIS - Meeting/Event Information