Biathlon to Have Medical Service Provided By TAMC and UMPI
With hundreds of athletes from around the world and thousands of spectators expected for the 2014 IBU Youth/Junior Biathlon World Championships, medical services is a key concern. TAMC and the University of Maine at Presque Isle are teaming up to meet that need.
TAMC is charged with the medical oversight for the world championship event. Dr. Peter Morningstar, from TAMC’s Aroostook Pediatrics practice and team physician for UMPI athletics, is the medical director for the event. Dr. Morningstar, along with a physician assistant, physician or nurse practitioner, will be on site every day for the biathlon activities. These TAMC providers, along with Crown Ambulance personnel, will be providing coverage every day to all of the teams and the spectators. They will be overseeing the first aid efforts at the venue and the overall healthcare of all of the 400 or so athletes that will be competing.
Sue Beaudet, professor of physical education at UMPI, will work with eight UMPI students each day providing initial first aid to athletes on the course. If an athlete is injured on the course, these volunteers secure the scene, move the athlete out of the traffic of the race if possible, stop any bleeding or splint an injured limb, treat for shock, and, in a worse-case scenario, provide CPR.
There are three key areas in which TAMC and UMPI staff and volunteers will be leading medical efforts. The first is anti-doping management, with efforts being led by Albert Parks and Crown Ambulance Paramedic Susan Busse. Ten TAMC employees, along with 22 athletic training students from UMPI will be identifying and chaperoning selected athletes to the doping area so the IBU appointed physician can collect specimens from each athlete.
In addition to the services at the venue, TAMC will be “up staffing” their Emergency Department, according to Boucher, as well as providing additional Crown Ambulance crew coverage, in order to best meet the needs of everyone in the community, whether or not they are taking part in the activities at Nordic Heritage Center.
More From
