Huntsville Hospital Health System’s Safety, Security & Parking team was named the 2026 Outstanding Security Team by the U.S. Outstanding Security Performance Awards (OSPAs), earning national recognition for its work to improve safety across the health system.

The award was presented Sunday, Sept. 13, during Global Security Exchange in Atlanta. HH Health was recognized among an impressive group of 2026 U.S. OSPA winners representing organizations including Amazon Worldwide Operations Security, GardaWorld Security, Jacobs, Piedmont Healthcare and University of Michigan Health System.

Judges praised the HH Health team’s leadership and innovation in healthcare security, including its workplace violence prevention efforts, systemwide de-escalation training, wearable duress technology for clinicians and Alabama’s first hospital-based Security K-9 program.

“This award is special because it shows that the work happening here at HH Health stands alongside some of the best security programs in the country,” said Brett Bramlett, director of Safety, Security & Parking for HH Health. “But our goal has never been to win awards. It’s about keeping people as safe as possible and continuously looking for ways to improve. This recognition belongs to our entire team and to the leaders across HH Health who have supported and invested in these programs.”

That work has produced measurable results. Over the past three years, HH Health has:

Reduced workplace violence incidents by 28.3%
Reduced workplace violence in the Emergency Department by 46% following implementation of the Security K-9 program
Decreased disorderly conduct among visitors by 26% following implementation of a visitor management system
Trained more than 11,000 employees in de-escalation techniques designed to help prevent incidents before they occur

“This national recognition reflects what we see every day — a Security team that is constantly looking for better ways to protect our patients, visitors and employees,” said Arin Zapf, chief nursing officer for Huntsville Hospital. “Safety isn’t separate from patient care. It’s part of patient care. Their partnership allows our caregivers to focus on providing compassionate, high-quality care while knowing they have a highly trained team supporting them. We are incredibly proud of what they have accomplished.”

The honor follows the team’s 2025 International Association for Healthcare Security & Safety Lindberg Bell Award, which recognized HH Health for excellence in healthcare security.

The U.S. OSPA win also advances HH Health to the 2026 Global OSPAs, where winners from regional OSPA programs around the world will be considered for international recognition. The Global OSPAs will be held virtually in January 2027.

For the Security team, the work continues. Two additional Security K-9 teams will soon begin training. Officers are receiving additional training for interactions involving behavioral health patients, and the department continues to evaluate new safety technology and opportunities to expand its security command center.

“We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished, but we’re not finished,” Bramlett said. “There will always be another opportunity to learn, another tool to evaluate and another way we can better protect our patients, visitors and employees.”