Puerto Rico: The USNS Comfort, a 70,000-metric-ton ship staffed with roughly 800 medical and support personnel and 250 beds, has treated only about 150 people since it arrived on Oct. 3
“….Hurricane Maria, a Category 4 storm, slammed into the U.S. Commonwealth of 3.4 million people on Sept. 20 with sustained winds of 155 miles an hour, killing nearly 50 residents and leaving 250,000 without homes…..”
“….Patients who show up at the Comfort aren’t turned away. But the normal path is through San Juan’s Centro Medico hospital, where doctors evaluate requests for transfer from other hospitals, contact a medical-operation center which in turn dials the ship. Patients are flown to the vessel via helicopter from other hospitals. …”
“……officials recently changed the protocol to allow regional hospitals to contact the operation center directly….”
“….The DoD…stationed personnel outside of hospitals around the island with satellite phones to relay information about hospitals’ power, water and patient count, in case there was need to evacuate or transfer patients…..”
“…..Four U.S. Army crews were recently certified to land on the ship during daytime…”
“…..Ryder Memorial Hospital….The Oct. 4 power failure prompted the evacuation of 29 patients by helicopter to San Juan, where five were transferred to the Comfort…..”
“….Two days later, the Comfort took in four patients after generators failed at Hospital Menonita in Caguas….”
“….As it has moved along Puerto Rico’s north coast, the ship has also supplied hospitals with more than 10 tons of food and water, plus 29,100 liters of oxygen…….”
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Friday, October 20th, 2017 at
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