title: Medical planning for very large events: Special Olympics World Games Los Angeles 2015.
abstract: Mass gathering events that involve special populations have challenges that require unique medical planning. The key to a successful mass event is in the preparation, planning, and communication. Concerns in communication such as language barriers, age of participants, and intellectual disability should be addressed early in the planning. In the event of a mass casualty disaster, there should be a clear chain of command and escalation policy. The primary concern of the sports medicine team is to ensure safety for the participation of an athlete. The risk of injury to an athlete varies depending on the event and venue. The sporting venue may require special consideration for access to athletes, crowd control, and ingress/egress of medical personnel and transports. In order to ensure safety and efficient care, it is paramount to have the necessary medical planning and preparedness to manage a large-scale sporting event.
authors.affiliation: Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA.
authors.forename: Marissa S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Vasquez
authors.forename: Michael K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Fong
authors.forename: Leena J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kurose
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tierney
authors.forename: Imani
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Gardner
authors.forename: Arash
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yazdani-Arazi
authors.forename: John K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Su
mesh_terms: D000846:Anniversaries and Special Events; D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000628:therapy; D003142:Communication; D003144:Communication Barriers; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006285:Health Planning; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability; D015141:Los Angeles; D054527:Mass Casualty Incidents; D013178:Sports Medicine / Q000458:organization & administration*; D064846:Sports for Persons with Disabilities