Bangor Sailor Serves Aboard USNS Mercy Hospital Ship

The United States Naval Ship Mercy is a huge floating hospital currently docked in Los Angeles, and one of the highly trained medical professionals aboard is from Bangor!

In the photo above Lt. Kristen Van Meter, from Bangor, checks a patient’s vitals aboard the hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) just yesterday.

"One of the Department of Defense's missions is Defense Support of Civil Authorities. DoD is supporting the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the lead federal agency, as well as state, local and public health authorities in helping protect the health and safety of the American people", according to a press release from the Navy Office of Community Outreach.

Mercy deployed in support of the nation's COVID-19 response efforts, and will serve as a referral hospital for non-COVID-19 patients currently admitted to shore-based hospitals. This allows shore base hospitals to focus their efforts on COVID-19 cases.

More than 100 crew members were taken off the ship this week and put into isolation after coming in contact with 7 other members of the crew that had been infected with COVID-19.  The Navy said that all have tested negative, according to NBCSanDiego.com.

We thank Lt. Kristen Van Meter for her service to our country!

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