Channel 1 Los Angeles
3/31/2020
The presence of this ship in Los Angeles port will enable the shore-based hospitals to have extra beds, freeing up intensive care units (ICU) and ventilators for coronavirus patients.
USNS Mercy departed from its base San Diego carrying over 800 navy medical personnel and support staff, a medical treatment facility (MTF), and over 70 civil service mariners.
Acting as a referral hospital for non-Covid-19 patients currently admitted to shore-based hospitals, the vessel will provide general surgeries, critical care and ward care for adults.
Mercy Military Treatment Facility commanding officer captain John Rotruck said: “This global crisis demands whole-of-government response, and we are ready to support.
“Mercy brings a team of medical professionals, medical equipment, and supplies, all of which will act, in essence, as a ‘relief valve’ for local civilian hospitals in Los Angeles so that local health professionals can better focus on Covid-19 cases.”