When the world’s best golfers tee off at the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club next week, UPMC doctors, nurses and paramedics will be there to care for them. But it’s not just the golfers who may need medical attention. About 30,000 people a day are expected to attend the event, adding to more than 120,000 people throughout the week.
Dr. Vincent Mosesso, medical director of UPMC prehospital care, said preparation and planning are key to providing care for players, spectators and volunteers. “We are prepared to treat everything from dehydration to critical cases, such as a serious cardiac event.”
Providing medical care for the event will involve a team of doctors, nurses and paramedics from UPMC and other local health care providers. “We often collaborate to provide the best possible medical care for major events,” said Dr. Christian Martin-Gill, associate medical director of UPMC Prehospital Care, and an emergency department physician. “We begin by planning for the type of medical assistance that will be needed and coordinating with our colleagues around the region.”
Doctors, nurses and paramedics will staff four medical aid tents along the course. Medical staff on bicycles will also work throughout the course for quick responses to emergencies. The health care professionals who volunteer are all used to working in emergency environments. There are also pre-determined evacuation routes for ambulances.
A primary focus will be on communication — making sure first responders and hospitals have patient information when they need it. Technology will enable health care providers in the field to track patients and communicate their medical status to hospitals, if necessary.
“The best way to avoid needing medical care at the event is to plan ahead. Stay hydrated, be aware of your surroundings and plan for any medical conditions you know you have. If you regularly need medication, make sure you bring it with you,” said Dr. Martin-Gill.
“And if you don’t feel well or you’re having potentially serious symptoms in the morning, stay home,” Dr. Mosesso added. “In past years, some people have needed medical attention for serious conditions that actually started hours earlier., before they left home.”
Practice rounds for the U.S. Open begin on Monday, June 9. The tournament runs though Sunday, June 15.
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