Atlanta area hospitals say their staff and resources are ready to respond to the 300,000 FIFA World Cup visitors expected here this summer. Preparations have been ongoing for months in advance, including a training simulation involving two patients who entered the U.S. with an infectious disease.
But with the closure of the Downtown Atlanta and East Point Wellstar hospitals, some residents worry that local medical systems already take on a high volume of patients. This has left some concern about emergency room wait times and whether there will be enough hospital beds for both residents and an influx of international visitors.
On Wednesday’s edition of “Closer Look,” local health administrators assured people in the Atlanta area that hospitals have what they need to treat everyone. The trio of medical leaders said Atlanta has experience leading recent mass gathering events, such as the Super Bowl, College Football Playoffs, and the National Championship.
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