Burn, Heat And Infection Preparedness Resources Available For World Cup

With four of six World Cup matches completed in Kansas City, Mo., and a fifth scheduled for Friday, July 3, health care delivery continues without significant impact across the region. Key updates for Week 3 include the following.

Burn Care Preparedness

As the Fourth of July approaches, hospitals may see an increase in burn and trauma injuries, particularly among visitors who may be unfamiliar with fireworks safety.

Because the Kansas City region has only three dedicated burn units, hospitals may need to stabilize and treat patients longer before transfer.

To support care teams, experts from The University of Kansas Health System's Gene and Barbara Burnett Burn Center recently provided just-in-time burn care training during a regional hospital capacity call. Download the training deck and view American Burn Association guidelines for burn referral. Also, hear from burn specialist Julia C. Slater, M.D., who shares safety tips to help prevent fireworks injuries and explains what to do if someone is burned.

Learn more about Kansas City regional burn centers:

• The University of Kansas Health System’s Gene and Barbara Burnett Burn Center is the region’s only nationally verified burn center by the American Burn Association.
• Children's Mercy operates the only designated Level I Pediatric Trauma Center and the only burn unit devoted exclusively to pediatric patients between St. Louis and Denver.
• Research Medical Center has an eight-bed dedicated burn unit and a burn surgical suite, providing access to specialized burn care for serious burn injuries, complex wounds and related conditions.

Heat Exhaustion

With summer temperatures rising, providers can access ready-to-use public messaging and educational materials about heat exhaustion and prevention.

Infection Prevention

Resources are available to help clinicians evaluate and treat patients with potential travel-related or high-consequence infections.

• Global Infectious Disease Events Dashboard: A resource that tracks emerging infectious threats worldwide, helping clinicians stay aware of evolving risks that may affect travelers or returning patients.
• CDC Yellow Book: A widely recognized and regularly updated reference that provides evidence-based recommendations for prevention, diagnosis and management of travel-related illnesses. 

Health care systems will continue to play a critical role in keeping patients, visitors and communities safe throughout the tournament. To support this regional effort, the Missouri and Kansas hospital associations and their partners will continue to inform hospitals about available resources, health care impacts and other emerging issues as the World Cup continues.