02/20/2026
COLLEAGUE SPOTLIGHT: MARK WERBECK
"I currently work in the Security Department at St. Joseph's Health Hospital in Syracuse, New York. I began my employment as a Senior Security Officer in October 2025 and was promoted to Lead Security Officer in December 2025. When I learned that St. Joseph's Health Hospital was looking for ex-law enforcement personnel to fill their ranks as armed guards, I thought that my nearly 30 years of law enforcement experience could bring some knowledge and expertise to a program that was less than a year old.
Having armed personnel in a hospital environment serves dual purposes. It primarily serves as a deterrent for any criminal element that may want to bring harm to patients, visitors, and/or staff in the hospital, and it also serves as a reassurance to those same people that, if something were to happen, highly trained personnel could quickly react, intervene, and protect them. My experience in law enforcement as a police officer, police sergeant, and police chief has trained me not only to remain calm in very high-stress situations, but also in de-escalation tactics, teamwork, team management, and strategic planning. These elements are all integral when trying to manage incidents at a hospital, where we work with colleagues from different units, with different training, all with their own separate roles, but working to achieve the same goal of providing the best health care to the patient.
Effective communication and teamwork are essential in any job environment, but they are paramount in a hospital environment, where things that one would consider routine can quickly turn critical in seconds. As security, we must be able to quickly mobilize staff to respond to any security- or medical-related incident on campus, assess the situation, and make a determination if other resources (e.g., police, fire, additional clinical staff, etc.) are needed, communicate that to our colleagues, and then facilitate that response if required.
The Security Department here at St. Joseph's Health Hospital is going through a transition. We are re-defining our role, adding personnel, and collaborating with clinical staff in an effort to create the safest healing environment possible. This is a new initiative that will take the Security Department in a direction that it hasn’t been before. It’s very exciting to see the growth of the Security Department in the short time I have been here and the possibilities yet to come. That excitement is what brings me to work every day!"
Thank you, Mark, for your dedication to protecting our colleagues and community. 🛡️ If this aligns with the work, you’re passionate about, we’d welcome you to apply for the Senior Security position: https://bit.ly/4qLN0xe
