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779th ICU nurses cover for haitian relief workers

  • Published
  • By Benjamin Newell
  • AFDW/PA
Air Force District of Washington --  The 779th Medical Operations Squadron is supporting the Haiti relief mission state side and on the Caribbean island itself.

Maj. Gen. Gar S. Graham, 79th Medical Wing commander, recently authorized dispatching six ICU nurses to backfill at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. The 779th nurses will be filling slots left vacant by medical professionals serving on the USNS Comfort, a naval hospital ship.

"Sending these nurses to Bethesda is just one of the ways that we're helping out," said Col. Sandra Tynes, chief nurse for the 779th medical group. "Our personnel will be allowing medical center nurses to continue their mission aboard the Comfort."

The USNS Comfort treats civilian and combat wounded in war zones and disaster areas. It has already treated several victims of the 7.0 magnitude earthquake which struck Haiti on Jan. 12. It will soon be within range of medevac crews in Haiti.