Every day, families walk through the doors of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta bearing the burden of unimaginable stress, worry and grief. Some may be coming to us on one of the worst days of their lives: the day their child is diagnosed with cancer, the hour after their daughter experiences a devastating injury, the minute after their son is life-flighted from a tragic accident. Sometimes, the high emotions of having a kid in the hospital can cause frustration, impatience and even verbal or physical outbursts. But thankfully, when conflict does arise in our hospitals, Security Officer Orlando McKinley and other members of our incredible Safety and Security teams are trained and ready to keep our patients, families and employees safe.

Orlando works at Children’s Hughes Spalding Hospital* located in the heart of downtown Atlanta. One of Children’s three hospitals serving patients 0-21 years old, Hughes Spalding is one of the smallest freestanding children’s hospitals in the country. Yet, it is a high-volume center, with more than 88,000 patient visits and more than 55,900 Emergency Department patient visits per year. Around 87% of these patients are uninsured or underinsured.

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A Typical Day: Security Officer, Hughes Spalding

6:00 a.m. Orlando is a morning person and is in the habit of waking up early, even on days like today when he is working mid-shift, 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. He turns on the news and settles in for a slow morning, mindfully preparing for his day ahead. “Working in security requires me to think on my feet and be prepared for anything,” Orlando says. “Practicing mindfulness and preparing myself mentally helps me think more clearly when difficult situations happen.”

10:20 a.m. As he turns into the Hughes Spalding employee parking deck, Orlando reaches to adjust the volume on his car radio. The sound of jazz music fills the air as he parks and pulls out his breakfast, a breakfast bowl and a bottle of water. While he eats, he reflects on the journey that led him to Children’s, one of the largest pediatric healthcare systems in the country. A Marine veteran and former police officer of 21 years, Orlando has been protecting others his entire career. During the last nine years with the police, he served as a bicycle cop in Birmingham, while living in Atlanta—commuting more than five hours there and back each day. Spending so much time in the car was tough on both Orlando and his family, and this stress ultimately led him to make the switch to Children’s. “I wanted to work at Children’s for better work-life balance,” Orlando says. “I have gained that and so much more. At Children’s, I have found an incredible team and work with a purpose.”

“To be successful in anything, you need a good team,” Orlando says. “And I wouldn’t be here without the incredible support of my co-workers in Safety and Security.”

10:50 a.m. His shift is about to start, so Orlando heads inside to gather the tools he needs for the day. All Children’s security officers carry handcuffs and a baton, which they are specially certified to use, as well as a radio so they can communicate while patrolling the hospital campus. Orlando also likes to carry a flashlight and keys, which he grabs before beginning his first patrol of the day. During the patrol, he carefully walks through the building and across campus, making sure everything is as it should be, and ensuring everyone is safe.

12:00 p.m. “Good to see you again,” Orlando says with a smile, greeting a mother and her daughter in the lobby. The pint-size patient grins back as he gives her an elbow bump—and asks her mother how her treatment is going. Her daughter has sickle cell disease, a genetic blood disorder that affects hemoglobin in red blood cells, and is a frequent patient at Hughes Spalding. “Because I am often at the front desk, I become a familiar face to many of our families,” Orlando explains. “They like to stop by to talk or tell me on how their treatment is going. That’s one of the best parts of the job—the bond I get to form with our patients and families.”

“Because I am often at the front desk, I become a familiar face to many of our families”

2:00 p.m. Reaching for his radio, Orlando responds to a call about a disruptive parent in the Emergency Department. When he arrives at the room, he can see the mother is visibly upset. He listens carefully as she shares her concerns about her son’s care. After a few minutes, the mother calms down, and Orlando works with the Emergency team to address her concerns. “Many times, when people are upset, they just need someone to talk to,” Orlando says. “You never know what someone is going through. Working at Children’s has really opened my eyes to the struggles people face, and I’ve gained a lot more understanding and empathy for the people I used to deal with as a police officer.”

4:00 p.m. As the afternoon quiets down, Orlando finds a moment to prepare for an upcoming Armament Systems and Procedures (ASP) training he will be leading for weekend officers at the Children’s Support Center. Orlando is a certified ASP instructor, and often teaches certification classes for security officers, training them on how to use their handcuffs and ASP baton and educating them our System’s use of force and handcuffing policies. “At Children’s, our policy is to use the least restrictive form of reasonable force,” Orlando explains. “Because we Care about People—that’s one of our core company values—we teach our teams to diffuse a situation without force whenever possible.” All our security officers must go through ASP training when they are hired and complete a yearly refresher course.

8:30 p.m. Orlando winds down from his workday by spending some quality time with his family. Both his kids currently attend Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. His daughter is a junior and his son is studying for a master’s degree. Orlando’s hope is that when they finish school, his children will find a job that gives them as much fulfillment and purpose as he has found at Children’s. “From our security teams to our nurses to our patient access representatives—we all try to do the best we can every day for the patients in our hospitals,” Orlando says. “That’s why I am proud to work at Children’s.”

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