KODIAK, Alaska — The Coast Guard medevaced a 71-year-old woman from Anderson Island in Sheep Bay near Cordova, Alaska, Wednesday morning.
A Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew, forward deployed in Cordova, picked up the woman from a nearby beach and transported her to Providence Valdez Medical Center in Valdez, Alaska.
The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Sycamore relayed a medevac request to Coast Guard 17th District command center watchstanders for the woman experiencing difficulty breathing. A Sycamore small boat crew was launched with emergency medical personnel aboard to assess the woman’s condition. After assessment, watchstanders briefed the duty flight surgeon who recommended the medevac.
“This case illustrates the importance of our forward deployed crews and coordination between Coast Guard assets throughout Alaska,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Trevor Frommherz, a watchstander at Coast Guard 17th District command center. “The teamwork between the Sycamore crew and MH-60 aircrew allowed us to respond to this woman in distress and get her to the medical care she needed in a timely manner.”
Weather at the time of the incident was reported as 6 mph winds, 2-foot seas and 10 miles visibility.