Here's how Bellin, HSHS are getting their emergency departments, ready for NFL draft crowds

GREEN BAY - The NFL draft is just weeks away, and fans and hospitals are gearing up for the crowds.

This year's NFL draft is expected to draw in 250,000 people in Green Bay April 24-26. With thousands of people in town, there could be a surge in patients and emergency department visits. The Press-Gazette reached out to Green Bay area hospitals to see how they are preparing for the possible rise in health care needs during draft week and how many patients they expect to see. Aurora BayCare Medical Center declined to comment at the time of publication.

Based on numbers from hospitals in other cities that recently hosted the NFL draft, though, there may not be as many patients as you'd expect with the large crowds of fans. Hospitals have been working with city and NFL officials for months to be ready for anything that happens.

Eight months of prep

Health care options will be more accessible, with more NFL first aid stations set up in the draft zone. David Kobielak, emergency management director at Bellin Health, said Bellin is planning on extending hours for some area urgent care clinics, though those hours have not been announced.

Both Kobielak and Kyle McCarty, emergency medicine director for St. Vincent Hospital and St. Mary's Hospital Medical Center, said they have been coordinating to have more staffing at Bellin and Hospital Systems Health System hospitals in Green Bay during draft week.

Kobielak said hospitals have been preparing for eight months for the possible influx of patients coming in during the draft. This month, 20 hospitals in the area are training for a surge of patients from the three-day event.

The hospitals have been coordinating trainings with hospitals in the Fox Valley and Oshkosh to be ready for any kind of incident that could occur with such a large event, and it's similar to how area hospitals get ready to treat fans at Green Bay Packers games at Lambeau Field, McCarty said.

Kobielak recommends people consider what level of care they need before heading to the hospital. For things like the cold or flu, go to FastCare or urgent care clinics "so we can make sure we have the capacity we need in the emergency departments for the more serious illnesses and injuries," he said.

What do other draft cities show in patient levels?

Area hospitals talked to hospitals in Detroit and Kansas City, the last two cities to host the NFL draft, about patient levels during the draft in those two cities. Neither had a major increase in patients, McCarty said.

There was only a slight increase in patient volumes in Detroit, which surprised McCarty. Paramedics in Detroit had 17 more ambulance transports during the four days of the draft — a 2% increase, McCarty said. Over 775,000 fans went to the 2024 NFL draft in Detroit over four days, breaking the event's all-time attendance record.

Despite the stats coming from other cities, Green Bay hospitals are planning for all kinds of patient surges.

Green Bay could be different

McCarty pointed to the weather and culture in Green Bay that might cause a swell in hospital visits during the draft.

Wisconsin in April can mean any weather. There have been blizzards in Green Bay at the end of April and days where it felt like spring. That's why McCarty recommends packing layers to be ready for any kind of weather during the draft.

Another factor that comes into play, of course, is alcohol. With the drinking culture in Wisconsin and at football games, HSHS is prepared for possible injuries that come with the rounds of drinks.

"The alcohol is probably going to be cheaper than a lot of people see in their hometown and if they try to keep up with any of the Wisconsin people, they could very easily find themselves more intoxicated than they want to be," McCarty said.

Pack your medical supplies

In addition to the beer and the unpredictability of the weather, the Green Bay draft may attract fans who see Green Bay and Lambeau as a bucket list city and football stadium for a lot of people. That means people who perhaps shouldn't be traveling may decide to come for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

McCarty urges everyone to plan and know what kinds of medical supplies you will need during your visit. He added that during Packers home games, doctors already see people who require supplemental oxygen coming into the hospital after they run out.

"If they only bring one tank and they run out, that’s going to be a really big problem because hospitals can't just give you a new bottle of oxygen," McCarty said. "That does require planning in advance."

Know where to get extra supply ahead of time if you get stuck in Green Bay because of delays or the weather. That means bringing your inhalers, extra insulin for diabetics, or scheduling where you're going to get dialysis in the area if you are a dialysis patient.

Contact Benita Mathew at bmathew@gannett.com.