MONTGOMERY CO., Va. – LewisGale Hospital Montgomery has prepared extra staffing on Wednesday in its emergency department due to the sold-out crowd in Lane Stadium for the Metallica concert.
Around 70,000 tickets were sold, which is a higher attendance than a home Virginia Tech football game day.
10 News Anchor Rachel Lucas visited LewisGale to discuss how they prepare for such a large event.
In addition to extra staffing and supplies, the hospital has made plans for an overflow area if they experience a surge of patients.
“Anytime you are talking about emergency services, you have to plan for the worst and hope for the best,” said Zac Chrisley, LewisGale’s director of emergency services. “For us here, we get the opportunity to have a similar plan in place six or seven times a year with home football games. So we will have a plan in place, additional staffing, supplies, and resources, things like that.”
LewisGale has coordinated with local first responders as well as the town of Blacksburg.