Health Care Utilization Remains Stable During World Cup

As the World Cup continues in Kansas City, hospital and public health partners are closely monitoring health care trends across the region. Here is a snapshot of key updates for Week 2: 

• To date, the region has not seen any significant increases in emergency department or urgent care visits.   
• Of note, Community Blood Centers reported a 25% drop in blood donations during the past week, leaving just a two-day supply of O negative blood, the universal blood type used in emergencies. This decline is especially concerning given that the region is currently in trauma season (Memorial Day through Labor Day), which is a time when hospitals typically see increased demand for blood products. Local donors are being encouraged to donate now.
• Public health monitoring: In coordination with local organizations, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) and Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) continue to conduct wastewater surveillance, monitoring for potentially harmful viruses and bacteria. Current levels remain very low or not detectable, which is encouraging and suggests no emerging public health concerns at this time.
  • Learn more about the KDHE wastewater surveillance program.
  • Learn more about DHSS’ wastewater surveillance program.
• With visitors arriving from around the world, language support remains a priority. News outlets estimate approximately 70 languages will be spoken by players, spectators and media during the tournament, and area hospitals remain prepared through in-person and digital translation services used to regularly support hundreds of languages, including American Sign Language. 

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.