Dick's House is bracing for Homecoming weekend, and the corresponding increase in admissions due to alcohol or bonfire-related injuries.
While exact numbers are not available, there is a marked increase in admissions over the weekend, according to Charley Bradley, nursing director at Dick's House. Dick's House will respond by increasing personnel, in addition to the nurses on duty and doctor regularly on-call.
"There is in an increase in admissions on Homecoming Friday and weekend," Bradley said. "I usually put one more person on duty, and I plan to do so this weekend."
While Homecoming is a cause for celebration among students, health officials are worried about safety, especially with regards to the bonfire. Over the past few years, Dick's House has treated more than just a few inebriated Safety and Security detainees.
Bradley said that in one recent case, where a student's shorts melted into his skin. More often, bonfire injuries are limited to hand burns from either touching the fire or overexposure to heat.
A few years ago, Dick's House treated the victims of violence stemming from Homecoming celebrations.
Bradley attributes the injuries to "a powerful mix of alcohol and peer pressure."