In a medical emergency, hospitals urge, dial 911 to avoid Saturday stadium traffic snarl

JACKSON - The visit of First Lady Michelle Obama to Jackson Saturday is expected to bring greatly increased traffic, prompting hospital officials to advise the public about special precautions that need to be taken in case of a medical emergency.

Travel to the three northeast Jackson hospitals - Baptist Medical Center, St. Dominic Hospital, and the University of Mississippi Medical Center - will be impacted most of Saturday by people planning to attend the commencement as well as parking and traffic restrictions imposed for security purposes. 

The simple message to remember in an emergency:  Call 911.  Persons experiencing a condition such as a heart attack, a severe laceration or other potentially life-threatening condition or obstetrical emergency on Saturday should not attempt to reach any of the three hospital emergency departments in a private vehicle if at all possible.  

Ambulances with trained medical teams are best equipped to navigate through challenging traffic conditions and provide care on location or during the transport, hospital officials said.    

Mrs. Obama will be the featured speaker at Jackson State University's commencement ceremony, which begins Saturday at 1 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Stadium.  A crowd of 55,000 people is expected to attend.

Persons traveling to the stadium to attend the commencement or anywhere in the vicinity for work or business should expect extensive delays and allow extra time to reach their destination.  Other travelers should bypass the area if possible.