PITTSBURGH — With an influx of 5,000-7,000 people in Downtown Pittsburgh for the NFL draft, hospitals are preparing for any and all emergencies.
Doctor Amy Crawford-Faucher is the chair of Allegheny Health Network’s Primary Care Institute.
“We thought, well, there’s an amazing opportunity here to really help both our native folks and visitors to really offer care that doesn’t exist anywhere else downtown for a walk-in subacute care, not ER level things,” Crawford-Foucher said.
There are several locations for NFL Draft attendees to receive medical care if needed. The AHN Downtown Express Care along Penn Avenue Place will be open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Wednesday, April 22, through Saturday, April 25. Additionally, the AHN Mobile Clinic will be stationed in Market Square.
“There will be medical outposts in other places as well, but we’ll be coordinating with that kind of central command to figure out who needs to go where,” said Crawford-Foucher.
It’s a similar situation for UPMC, which is setting up medical tents all over, including the North Shore and Point State Park.
Ken Strauss lives in the city next to the point.
“In the building I live in, they’re going to need what they call like a security card. They show security - it basically lets them in and out of the property,” Strauss said.
He says he’s excited the draft is coming to Pittsburgh, but he’s not interested in dealing with the massive crowds expected.
“It’s probably gonna be a lot of chaos because of that,” Strauss said.
Strauss says his solution is to leave the city until the draft is over.
“I’m leaving town, I’m getting out of here,” Strauss said.
AHN says it’s doubled its staff for the draft. UPMC says it too has increased staffing for next week.
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