Hospitals in Green Bay, Wis., are preparing for a possible influx of patients when the city hosts the NFL draft next month, the Green Bay Press-Gazette reported March 17.
Green Bay expects to welcome more than 250,000 people between April 24-26 for the draft. Hospital leaders have been working with city officials and NFL leaders for months to prepare for a potential rise in healthcare demands amid the event.
More than 20 hospitals in the city participated in incident training this month to prepare for potential medical emergencies, and an increased demand for emergency and urgent care services.
Many systems, including Green Bay-based Bellin Health and Springfield, Ill.-based Hospital Systems Health System, are slated to ramp up staffing at local hospitals during the draft. Bellin Health also plans to extend hours at some urgent care clinics, according to David Kobielak, the system's emergency management director.
To better anticipate patient needs, Green Bay health systems have also consulted with hospital leaders in Detroit and Kansas City — host cities for the last two drafts — to learn from their experiences. While more than 775,000 people attended the 2024 draft in Detroit, hospitals there reported only a slight increase in patient volumes.
View the full report here.