CLEVELAND – A Coast Guard rescue helicopter crew airlifted a 54-year-old woman who was reportedly suffering severe head pain on Beaver Island in northern Lake Michigan and transported her to mainland Michigan Monday evening.
Search and rescue controllers at Coast Guard Sector Sault Sainte Marie, Mich., received the request for medical evacuation at 8:08 p.m. Due to the fact the woman had no prior history of migraines or associated health problems, the flight surgeon, who makes the ultimate determination on what warrants emergency transport, authorized the medevac.
A rescue helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City, Mich., launched aboard an MH-65C Dolphin rescue helicopter. Once on the island, the aircrew embarked the woman and transported her to Harbor Springs Airport in Petoskey, Mich., where she was met by awaiting EMS for further transport to a hospital.
The Coast Guard maintains great working relationships with medical personnel at emergency facilities in remote Great Lakes locations, including northern Lake Michigan’s Beaver Island.
