Kansas City prepares for World Cup medical challenge

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – More than 600,000 international fans will attend eight World Cup matches in Kansas City in four months, creating an unprecedented medical challenge for local healthcare systems.

The University of Kansas Health System is leading preparations to provide medical services at every match, base camp and Fan Fest location while ensuring local patients continue receiving care.

“This is a super exciting challenge. We love dynamic situations and planning for those and how to mitigate risk and things. So this is exactly what I love to do,” said Dr. Bryan Beaver, who is leading the medical planning effort.

Training underway at Arrowhead Stadium

Beaver’s team has been training for a year and a half, running table-top exercises and full-scale drills at Arrowhead Stadium will be taking place soon.

“We have more of those coming as we get closer to the World Cup,” Beaver said.

All hospital systems in Kansas City will participate in the effort, with 20,000 staff at the University of Kansas Health System alone, plus regional partners.

“This is a first for Kansas City in terms of the length of this event and the number of people that we have coming. But when it comes to hospitals and collaboration, COVID was actually a pretty good example of there was an enormous need for health care,” said Laura McCarthy, vice president of public and community relations at the University of Kansas Health System.

Planning continues as details emerge

The medical plan will be finalized when team base camps are announced and translation service needs are determined.

“So once we have a little bit better idea who’s coming here and what that might mean for estimates of numbers of fans, we’ll be able to put a little bit more details in place,” McCarthy said.

Medical services will be available for team medical staff if needed, though those details are not finalized.

Healthcare officials also plan to help international fans understand the U.S. healthcare system, including the difference between urgent care and emergency departments.

“What’s the difference between an urgent care or an emergency department, when to go to an urgent care versus when to go to an emergency department, and then how to access that care and how to get there,” Beaver said.

McCarthy said coordination is happening in tiers, with primary focus on the Kansas City metro area plus Lawrence due to potential base camp locations, then expanding statewide.

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