John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital prepares for festival season

Every year during festival season John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital (JKF) makes sure it's prepared for those attending the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

Dr. Timothy Rupp who is the JFK Emergency Department Chairman said that the hospital is in communication with Riverside County because they handle ambulance deployments, and also physician providers who plan to be on the festival grounds. Dr. Rupp said from there he learns what type of incidents would be transported to the hospital.

So far during weekend one of the Coachella festival, 20 ambulances transported patients from the Empire Polo Club to various area hospitals. With JFK being the closest hospital to the festival Dr. Rupp said they received a majority of those transports.

He also said Riverside County reported there to be 120 visits to local hospitals from people in town for the festival.

No significant cases came through the emergency room doors of JFK. People reported to the hospital for ankle sprains, dehydration, scrapes, etc. Dr. Rupp said what was seen this past weekend is no different from previous years the festival was held.

New this year that wasn't around in 2019 during the last Coachella Valley Music and Art Festivals is the level four trauma center at JFK.

This trauma center ramps up medical efforts for any serious incidents that happen at the festival.

“If there are injuries, traumatic injuries such as falling objects that have happened in the past or falls from a height or even in the area here where there’s a lot of traffic, motor vehicle collisions, auto-pedestrian collisions, we are the closest trauma center to the festival," explained Dr. Rupp.

Meanwhile, with two more weekends of the festivals to go, JFK is well prepared for the uptick of visitors in the area.

“We’re here, we’re ready," said Dr. Rupp. "We expect a bump in our census because of Coachella and Stagecoach, so we plan for it. We prepare for it and we’re ready. It’s nothing we haven’t seen before and we hope to keep it that way.”