Medical Personnel On Hand To Assist 'Small City' At Merion For U.S. Open
By Michelle Durham
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - The U.S. Open is underway in Merion and there are many members of the area medical community present to attend to any emergencies that arise, either with the athletes or spectators.
Chairman of the Medical Committee for the U.S. Open and Rothman Institute Physician Dr. Robert Good says there are 140 rigorously screened medical volunteers, ranging from physicians to EMT's, all ready to help.
"And there's going to be about 25,000 fans and about 15,000 support staff, so we are going to have a small city of 40,00 people. So, you can have heart attacks. If it's too hot we worry about heat exhaustion, heat stroke, sunburn, and beestings."
Good says there are five separate facilities set up. In addition, "We'll have EMT's and paramedics on bikes and all of our hole captains and volunteers on each one of the holes has walkie talkies so they will be in communication with the command center."
Minor issues can be treated right there and if someone needs to be transported, a pre-determined route has been mapped out so paramedics can get someone through the closed roads quickly.
