For Immediate ReleaseContact: Daron Cowley801-442-2834[email protected]

WINTER OLYMPIC MEDICAL SERVICES READY FOR SICKNESS AND INJURIES

Salt Lake City, Utah, January 24, 2002 - With roughly 100,000 visitors per day expected in Utah during the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, as well as 3,500 athletes from 82 countries, what types of sicknesses are the medical services provider for the Games gearing up to treat?

"Much of what we anticipate we'll see in our Olympic clinics and hospitals is what we'd typically see during any winter month," says Richard Price, MD, Olympic medical operations officer for Intermountain Health Care (IHC). IHC is the medical services provider for the 2002 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

Dr. Price said the most common medical problems expected to be seen among both athletes and spectators are colds, flu, respiratory problems, altitude sickness, and minor injuries. Types of illnesses seen during the Olympics will be carefully tracked by state and local health departments.

Flu was a problem in 1998 at the Olympics held in Nagano, said Dr. Price, and actually affected quite a few of the athletes. Bumps, bruises, and sprains are common injuries that medical service providers from previous Olympic Games have reported.

Altitude sickness could also be a factor for many visitors who come from sea level. "Especially for those spectators at the alpine venues at 6,000 to 8,000 feet in elevation, altitude sickness could be a problem," said Dr. Price "And if you add exposure to the cold and exertion from hiking up and down hills to and from the venue, the problem can be made even worse." Altitude sickness can generally be treated with rest and medication.

IHC will staff 35 temporary medical clinics - one for athletes and one for spectators at each of the major Olympic venues, plus several other sites - that will provide basic care for illnesses and minor injuries. There will also be a clinic in the athlete's Olympic Village at the University of Utah staffed by the school's medical center.

Five of IHC's hospitals are designated as Olympic Hospitals - including LDS Hospital in Salt Lake, McKay-Dee Hospital in Ogden, Cottonwood Hospital in Murray, Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo, and Heber Valley Medical Center in Wasatch County. The University of Utah Medical Center is also an Olympic Hospital.

With the dramatic increase in visitors to Utah, this will also mean more cars on the road. It's anticipated that an extra 60,000 cars will go up and down the canyons every day during the games, and the interstate highways and city streets will also see increased travel. Throw into the mix that on average it snows four times from February 8 to 24, this could mean more auto accidents and accompanying injuries.

"IHC's hospitals are ready for that also," says Dr. Price. The emergency medical system in Utah is well prepared to respond to possible extra needs and will function under their existing protocols.

If needed, emergency air ambulance services will be available from IHC Life Flight, with five high-altitude helicopters to cover the Olympic venues and surrounding area. Extra staff will be on-call at the hospitals if they are needed.

However, few Olympic athletes or spectators have historically needed to be admitted to area hospitals. In Nagano in 1998, 128 patients were transferred from Olympic venue clinics to local hospitals, but only 12 of those patients had problems serious enough to be admitted.

IHC is a charitable, community-owned, nonprofit health care organization based in Salt Lake City that serves the health needs of Utah and Idaho residents. The IHC system includes health insurance plans, hospitals, clinics, and affiliated physicians. Last year, in more than 100,000 cases, IHC hospitals and associated clinics provided $33 million in charitable assistance. A central part of IHC's mission is to provide quality medical care to persons with a medical need, regardless of ability to pay.

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