Local emergency room doctors prepare for busy New Year's Eve
EAST MEADOW, New York (WABC) -- Emergency room doctors at Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow are preparing for a busy New Year's Eve.
The hospital typically sees a sharp uptick in emergency room visits beginning around midnight on New Year's Day.
"After 12 o'clock, statistically, that's the time when we have... unfortunately, people get a little silly on New Year's Eve. Or they're not using their heads," said Jerry Laricchiuta, President of the Nassau County Civil Service Employees Association, the union representing many of the hospital workers.
Emergency medical center physician Dr. Dean Olsen said on New Year's Eve emergency physicians typically see patients involved in motor vehicle accidents or assaults.
Olsen said the number of trauma patients can be double or triple as compared to a typical night in the ER.
"After midnight, the flood gates open, and it's just trauma after trauma after trauma," he said.
WATCH the Nassau University Medical Center news conference
Olsen said they also see a number of more routine medical emergencies, such as heart attacks.
"People... they eat a lot, they drink a lot. That puts a lot of stress on their body, and even things like heart attack and stroke patients tend to come in around New Year's and afterwards," Olsen said.
The hospital has ensured the emergency room will be fully staffed throughout the overnight hours.
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