BEAUMONT — CHRISTUS Southeast Texas Health System is holding a commissioning ceremony Thursday at the Phelan Mansion Grounds in Beaumont honoring the promotion of its new security force.

“Each day we see sobering reminders that our world can be volatile at times,” CHRISTUS Southeast Texas President and CEO Paul Trevino said. “We felt it was important to be proactive and to be prepared in case of emergency. When our patients visit our facilities, we want them to focus on getting well. When our Associates come to work, we want them to focus on providing excellent care in a safe environment. We are confident that the training our dedicated security officers have received will ensure that those goals are met.”

Following months of training, company officials said security officers for CHRISTUS Southeast Texas Health System have been certified by the State of Texas as Level III commissioned security officers – allowing the officers to carry firearms.

In addition to firearms, security officers with CHRISTUS Southeast Texas Health System will be equipped with new uniforms, marked security vehicles and new body armor vests that had previously only been available to law enforcement officers.

CHRISTUS officials said officers would be sent to St. Mary Outpatient Center Mid County at 8801 Ninth Avenue in Port Arthur.

In preparation for their promotions, officers received 45 hours of training, which at times exceeded the level of training required by other local entities.

The CHRISTUS Southeast Texas security team also implemented virtual reality headsets into their training regimen, simulating emergency situations inside of virtual models of CHRISTUS Southeast Texas facilities.