Lurie Children's: Lollapalooza causes 3-fold spike in ER visits

Chicago-based Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital is prepping itself for the worst emergency room weekend of the year — Lollapalooza.

Last year during the three-day music festival, Chicago emergency rooms treated 88 teens for alcohol poisoning, according to a study conducted by Lurie Children's researchers. That's almost four times as many ER admissions as the next-worst weekend for underage drinking: Halloween. The weekend of Oct. 31, 2015 tallied 23 ER admissions for teen alcohol poisoning, according to the study.

ER admissions were down 27 percent in 2015 compared to 2014, and Lurie Children's is hoping to get that number down to zero this year. However, the festival stretches four days this year instead of three, so Lurie Children's is still gearing up for a lot of ER traffic. Here, a report in the Chicago Tribune details how Lurie Children's has been practicing with simulations in the days leading up to the festival.

 

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