THOUSANDS TREATED FOR HEAT PROBLEMS

EMTs and nurses bearing stretchers picked their way through the throng, and Secret Service agents were dipping up Gatorade as heat and humidity took their toll on Clinton supporters at the Capaha Park rally Friday afternoon.

So many people came into the first-aid tent set up by Southeast Missouri Hospital that there was no time for medical staff to get an accurate headcount, said Pat Pennington, the hospital's emergency services manager.

"They came in such droves," she said. "We estimate that we saw several thousand people just for ice water and cold rags," but actually treated about 100 people.

About 30 people were shuttled across Broadway to Southeast's emergency room, Pennington said, where doctors and nurses had set up a second hydration area to treat people suffering from heat exhaustion.

At times, there weren't enough ambulances available to deal with patients, police said.

At one point, organizers called for any off-duty EMTs to report to the first-aid tent to help meet the demand for assistance. "Without this first-aid station, we would have had a catastrophe," Pennington said, adding that the station was set up at the suggestion of the Secret Service.

Volunteers from throughout the area, including from Perry, Stoddard, Scott and Mississippi counties, helped out as nurses and EMTs.

Part of the problem was the size of the crowd. In several instances, bystanders shouted to police for a stretcher, and emergency medical personnel had to make their way through the crowd to get to the victim.

"You can't get the stretchers out on this rough terrain, so there was a lot of litter-bearing," Pennington said.

Several people were treated for respiratory problems, including a half-dozen or so who were sent to the emergency room, and scrapes and bruises were also common, she said.

Pennington said she caught a glimpse of President Clinton, but she didn't hear his speech.

"I was too busy slapping wet rags on people's faces," she joked.

Medical staff at the hospital were prepared for the worst with President Clinton's visit, Pennington said, including putting additional staff on the job and making sure doctors and surgeons were on call in the hospital.

"Of course, our major concern would be caring for the president or vice president should anything occur," she said.

Several steps were taken to secure the emergency room, including installing bulletproof glass in the emergency room, but those steps had been planned "for two years," and weren't directly related to the president's visit, Pennington said.

Parking was restricted for employees and visitors around the hospital to control traffic around the area.

The hospital's LifeBeat air ambulance service operated out of the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport Friday, rather than from the rooftop base, for security reasons.

The roof was open only for incoming medical flights, Pennington said.

Secret Service personnel also toured St. Francis Medical Center to find out what resources were available in terms of helipads, secured areas and other items, said Jay Wolz, a spokesman for the medical center.

A slight increase in patient volume was noted at St. Francis's emergency room, apparently because of traffic restrictions at Southeast, "but nothing too major," he said.