Lexington Medical Society Golf Outing Reaches 25th Year
The 25th Annual BB&T/ Lexington Medical Society (LMS) Golf Outing was held on Wednesday August 27th at the University Club in Lexington. Eighty-eight golfers teed it up in a Shamble format on a hot, humid day that ended with a torrential thunderstorm.
Winning teams were: First place – Bill Cox; Dennis Pike, Billy Gatton Jones, Bill Shouse. Second place – David Smyth, Tony Scatena, David Solomon, Mike Adams. Third place – Porter Roberts, Anjum Bux, MD, Wendy Cropper, MD, Sam Cropper.
All proceeds of the event go to the Lexington Medical Society Foundation, which supports a variety of community causes and organizations such as Baby Health, Nathanial Mission, and Surgery on Sunday. John Collins, MD, Lexington Clinic, chair of the LMS Golf Committee commented on the continuing work of the LMS Foundation saying, “Doctors and nurses volunteer at these organizations to provide health care for people of Central Kentucky who continue to struggle with the health care system.”
KentuckyOne Health Sponsors Medical Service at PGA Championship
After a year of planning, KentuckyOne Health provided medical care for the 40,000–50,000 spectators daily at the 96th PGA Championship in Louisville, August 4–10, 2014. Mario Maya, MD, medical director for the event, estimated a potential 250,000 patients from the combined spectators, staff, and PGA professionals.
With that number, “statistically speaking, anything could happen. From stroke, cardiac arrest, and appendicitis to elbow or ankle fractures and sprains,” says Maya. He says it was seven long days, a break from his normal practice, and the opportunity to help his community, while “riding around in a golf cart on a beautiful golf course.”
“We anticipate a number of different types of injuries, but the most common during events like these are heat exhaustion, headaches, lacerations, and allergies,” says Maya, board certified in emergency medicine. He practices occupational medicine with Occupational Physicians Services of Louisville. “Other injuries include sprains, strains, bruises, and fractures. Our purpose is to keep everyone safe and well so that they can enjoy this wonderful sporting event,” he says.
“The rains cut down on heat related illnesses this year,” Maya says. “Instead, we saw more sprains and strains from slip and falls due to wet ground conditions.”
KentuckyOne has provided medical management for five of the six tournaments hosted at Valhalla including the 2000 PGA Championship, 2004 Senior PGA Championship, 2008 Ryder Cup, 2011 Senior PGA Championship, and 2014 PGA Championship.
KentuckyOne Health managed three medical trailers, each staffed with a physician, a registered nurse, and an administrative support person. These locations were staffed daily for the duration of the event from 6:30am until 8pm or whenever the day was complete. More than 150 volunteers worked for KentuckyOne during the week of the tournament to provide medical care, including on-call physicians in a variety of specialties, such as pediatricians for PGA pros traveling with children.
Each trailer was equipped with a variety of medical supplies from the simple to serious: stretchers, wheel chairs, oxygen, LIFEPAK defibrillators and monitors, injectables, cardiac and intubation equipment, splints, sutures, band-aids, tape, and analgesics. Additionally, roaming EMS crews from Louisville Metro EMS monitored the course. “It was a total team effort,” says Maya.
Athletes are not the only ones to sustain injuries at these events. Attendees are often the ones that need medical attention. “KentuckyOne Health is proud to be a partner and provide the care needed for volunteers and attendees,” said Denise Wooldridge, RN, BSN, director of KentuckyOne Health Sports Medicine.
What was the biggest challenge for Maya? “Getting to the site of a medical incident, through the crowds, without making a lot of noise. The PGA doesn’t like a lot of noise at their events,” says Maya.