With the buzz building ahead of Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans on Feb. 9, 2025, the spotlight is not just on the NFL teams or halftime performers—it's also on the heroes off the field.
As the Super Bowl approaches, the Ochsner Health team is not standing on the sidelines. The physicians and other health professionals at Ochsner Health—the Official Medical Provider for the New Orleans Super Bowl Host Committee—have stepped into the huddle, crafting a game plan to keep fans, players and visitors safe and healthy.
From managing urgent care clinics in the bustling French Quarter and Central Business District, to deploying cutting-edge technology for rapid medical response at Caesars Superdome, Ochsner Health is treating this highly anticipated event like their own championship. Behind the scenes, the team of medical professionals, disaster-response experts and public health planners are tackling everything from flu outbreaks to hydration stations, ensuring that the city of New Orleans can host fans, players and visitors in peak form.
“It’s an honor to be the chair of the medical subcommittee on behalf of the Super Bowl Host Committee,” said Jeffrey Kuo, MD, an emergency physician and medical director of emergency management and security at Ochsner Health.
Ochsner Health is a member of the AMA Health System Program, which provides enterprise solutions to equip leadership, physicians and care teams with resources to help drive the future of medicine.
In this role, Dr. Kuo is working with National Football League medical teams along with city, regional, state and federal officials. “We are here to ensure that all of our fans who are coming into town and all of our local community are well taken care of during the weeks preceding the Super Bowl and into game day,” he explained.
“Ochsner is the leading health care system in Louisiana. It is our privilege at Ochsner Health to lead the medical efforts for major global events such as this Super Bowl in New Orleans,” Dr. Kuo said. “Our history and our relationship with the New Orleans Saints and with the NFL factored into our expertise and leadership, and it helps us serve our community.”
Throughout the year, Ochsner serves as the official health care provider of both the New Orleans Saints (since 2005) and the New Orleans Pelicans (since their inception in 2012). In fact, earlier this month, the organizations renewed their partnership for another ten years, with a pledge to focus collaboration on advancing community engagement and health initiatives across the Gulf South region.
Super Bowl LIX certainly isn’t the first time Ochsner Health has stepped onto the field to help with a major event.
“We’ve done this so many times before, including for Super Bowl XLVII in 2013. We provided medical services for the College Football Playoff National Championship a few years ago, and major events such as Jazz Fest,” said Dr. Kuo. “We take pride in serving our community, which also extends to the many tourists who will visit our city for the big game.”
Initiatives extend beyond the game
The announcement that New Orleans would host Super Bowl LIX in 2025 came more than four years before the big game, which launched years of work in preparation of game week.
“It's been such an honor to partner with other first responders and law enforcement here in our area,” said Dr. Kuo.
One small token of that partnership is that the health system recently donated iPads to the New Orleans Fire Department to ease their documentation of Super Bowl-related tasks and emergencies. Ochsner Health also donated automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to the local police.
“The New Orleans Police Department recently stood up an emergency medical responder program because they frequently are the first folks to respond to a medical emergency,” he added. “We've donated AEDs to them, so that in the event of a major medical emergency, they're able to render lifesaving treatment for patients in the pre-hospital setting.”
In collaboration with the New Orleans Health Department and New Orleans Musicians Clinic, Ochsner Health also set up a flu shot clinic on Dec. 12. Also in December, Ochsner Health worked with the New Orleans Health Department to host a Narcan training for hospitality workers at several locations. Narcan is the brand name for naloxone, the opioid-overdose antidote.
“It is our mission to inspire healthier lives and stronger communities, which includes ensuring that our region is prepared for any unforeseen issues that may arise,” said Dr. Kuo.
The AMA believes that science, evidence and compassion must continue to guide patient care and policy change as the nation’s opioid epidemic evolves into a more dangerous and complicated illicit drug overdose epidemic. Learn more at the AMA’s End the Epidemic website.
Work is ongoing
“Even before the fans arrive, there are so many exciting events that are happening during Super Bowl week. We support the NFL with medical services so that they are well taken care of and able to prep for the game itself,” said Dr. Kuo. “Then, for the fans, there are so many different offerings that are happening around Super Bowl week.”
“One of those, for instance, is at the Ernest N. Morial New Orleans Convention Center, where there will be a fan celebration called the Super Bowl Experience Feb. 5–8,” he shared. “At the Super Bowl Experience, we're going to be partnering with New Orleans EMS to provide medical services and first-aid stations for those fans who may need us.”
Prior to the big game, Ochsner Health will also have medical care onsite at the NFL HQ Hotel.
It’s all about collaboration
“On game day, we're going to be outside of the stadium working in collaboration with Acadian Ambulance service,” said Dr. Kuo, noting that there will be two to three medical stations outside the area around the stadium. During the game, Ochsner Health doctors and health professionals will be staffing the medical first aid stations inside Caesars Superdome for the fans.
“Ochsner has over 200 employees deployed for the event, including physicians, resident physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses, paramedics, medical assistants and administrative personnel.
The fun part of being the medical provider for the Super Bowl is the collaboration,” said Dr. Kuo. “We at Ochsner really love working with other entities, and we’ve been planning for every scenario to ensure that we have a successful and safe Super Bowl—the week of the game and into game day.”
Watch this episode of “AMA Update” to learn from Allen Sills, MD, chief medical officer for the NFL, about concussion diagnosis and management, as well as the league’s emergency action plans to help staff provide lifesaving care to players like Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin.
The standard of care in physician well-being recognition
Institutions in this article have been honored by the Joy in Medicine™ Health System Recognition Program.
