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ST. LOUIS - A young boy and his parents visited St. Louis from Louisville, KY, to watch a St. Louis Cardinals baseball game. The family came rushing to the first aid station at Busch Stadium after the boy fell at the game and dislocated his elbow.

Doug Char, MD, was able to pop it back into place, saving the family a costly visit to the emergency room, and they were back in their seats for the game’s first pitch.

“The whole thing took about 20 minutes,” says Dr. Char, Washington University emergency medicine physician at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. “Years ago, a nurse, paramedic and primary care physician staffed the first aid station, and most injuries had to be sent to the emergency room. Now, we often have an emergency-medicine-trained physician assigned to the stadium who can offer intervention.”

For the past three years, Washington University emergency medicine physicians at Barnes-Jewish Hospital have helped staff the first aid stations at many of the Cardinals games at Busch Stadium.

The Washington University physicians are staffing 38 of the 80 home games this year.

Baseball fans often seek treatment for heat illness, chest pain, abdominal pain and general injuries, especially children and older adults.  The emergency physician group has also been called upon to review and update the stadium’s disaster response plan.

“We’re happy to do it,” says Dr. Char. “After you pay for tickets, parking and food, the last thing you want to do is  leave the game to go to the emergency room. It’s nice to know that our presence ensures that minor complaints can be dealt with on site and that seriously ill fans can be assessed and directed to the appropriate emergency facility