HONOLULU – A Coast Guard aircrew successfully dropped medical supplies to a patient in need of urgent medical care on a remote island northwest of Hawaii, Monday.
Coast Guardsmen at Joint Rescue Coordination Center Honolulu received a report from a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service supervisor reporting a 26-year-old female was suffering from a medical condition on Laysan Island.
Two Coast Guard flight surgeons were briefed about the situation and both recommended the delivery of medication.
An HC-130 Hercules airplane crew from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point was launched at approximately 12 p.m. The aircrew reached the drop site at 3 p.m. and delivered the medication via parachute.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service contracted a ship out of Honolulu to conduct the possible medevac of the patient.
“The capabilities that Coast Guard units in Hawaii bring to the Pacific- speed, adaptability, reliability, integrity and skill- are characteristics that help us sustain the multi-mission character of our service,” said Lt. Jason Hagen, command duty officer at Joint Rescue Coordination Center Honolulu. “This case is a great example of how we always try to do more to provide help for people in the region.”
