Local law and health agencies beef up Uptown presence for Halloween
For every costumed partygoer this Saturday daring to go too hard — collapsing on Court Street or breaking a bone in their haste to get from bar to bar — there’s a police officer, nurse and emergency responder waiting to pick them back up again.
The Athens Police Department, Athens County Sheriff’s Office, Athens County Emergency Medical Services and OhioHealth O’Bleness Hospital all prepare weeks in advance for the Athens Halloween Block Party, and beef up their staffs for the night.
More than twice the normal amount of emergency responders will be out Saturday night said Rick Callebs, chief of Athens EMS. There will be roughly 25 responders on duty driving, as opposed to the department’s typical 12. There will be 10 responders, additionally, stationed throughout the city.
Each EMS truck will also be carrying isolation equipment, due to the recent worry surrounding Ebola.
“Most of the stuff that we deal with at the Block Party is something related to the event itself,” Callebs said. “Someone accidentally gets hurt or there’s an intoxication or drug issue.”
APD Chief Tom Pyle conservatively estimated said that the number of attendees at this weekend’s Block Party conservatively would be near 15,000, though his “bloated estimate” was 40,000.
“We have no control over that, it’s not like we can stop people at the gate and say, ‘You can’t come in,’” Pyle said. “Nor should we.”
Pyle said there will be more than four times the normal police force Uptown, and Athens County Interim Sheriff Rodney Smith said his department will be increasing its presence on Court Street, as well.
Lianne Dickerson, manager of the emergency department at OhioHealth O’Bleness Hospital, said the facility will also be “revving up” its staffing, and will be stocking up on supplies beforehand as well.
Aside from nurses, Dickerson said they’ll have more lab technicians, security and housekeeping employees, too. Overflow patients for the emergency room will also be directed to the outpatient surgery waiting room, in the event that the hospital doesn’t have room in their emergency department.
“From about 9 to 10 p.m. on, we’ll see an influx of patients until the bars close,” Dickerson said.
Generally, there is one nurse for every four patients, Dickerson said. The hospital tries to keep that ratio static by staffing an extra four nurses during the Block Party. She added that they’re seeing less patients that weekend than they used to.
Last year, the emergency department saw a total of 104 patients on the day of the Block Party, though all patients weren’t necessarily partygoers.
Patients will hopefully arrive with a friend or have a driver’s license on hand so they can be identified. They’ll also need a sober ride home from the hospital to be released.
To make the process more bearable, O’Bleness has a potluck dinner the night of the Block Party for all workers poised to deal with an influx of patients. The City of Athens sets up a pizza dinner for emergency responders and police at its building at 8 E. Washington St.
They’ll still be dealing with some patients the next morning, though.
“The next day sometimes we’ll have kids wander in who have hurt themselves the night before,” Dickerson said.
Callebs said he expects EMS to be responding well throughout Sunday to those with bad hangovers.
“We see some stuff the next day,” Callebs said. “A lot of it is hangover related. We want you to have a good time. It’s a fun event, (so) be responsible in your drinking and be responsible in your health habits.”
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