Sasquatch Festival-goers again overwhelm local hospital with drug, alcohol cases
May 27, 2014, 2:31 PM | Updated: May 28, 2014, 6:45 am
As has been the case with a number of music festivals at the Gorge Amphitheater, the nearby Quincy Valley Medical Center was overwhelmed over the weekend due to Sasquatch.
The emergency room treated more than 100 patients from Thursday afternoon through Monday during the run of the annual music festival. Many of the patients were suffering from drug and alcohol-related problems.
“It was about two-and-a-half times a normal weekend for us, and about 56 percent of the patients that came to us were directly related to activity at the Gorge,” says hospital spokesperson Michelle Wurl.
It’s a common occurrence. Dozens were treated for drug overdoses during a festival last July. One man died.
The small, rural clinic reports it lost $400,000 in unpaid expenses due to the large number of uninsured patients from events at the Gorge.
“Quite often you have people coming without any clothes. More often than not they have no identification, they have no wallet, they have nothing, so we ask. We try, but it’s not always possible,” Wurl says.
A state legislator is proposing a new $1 fee to tickets at the amphitheater to help pay for emergency services on concert weekends.
State Rep. Matt Manweller, R-Ellensburg, says the money raised would be split between the small hospital and fire districts that serve the area.
