Navy Skilled Nursing Facility Mission in Los Angeles Area Ends

Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Rawad Madanat | 200425-N-JW440-1011 Orange County, Calif. (April 25, 2020) Lt. j.g. Jose Vargas (left), from Bremerton, Wash., assigned to the hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) instructs Hospital Corpsman Third Class Julia Alvarado, from Riverside, Calif., at a skilled nursing facility in Orange County. Mercy is deployed in support of the nation’s COVID-19 response efforts. One of the Department of Defense’s missions is Defense Support of Civil Authorities. DoD is supporting the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the lead federal agency, as well as state, local and public health authorities in helping protect the health and safety of the American people. (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Rawad Madanat)  

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES

05.31.2020

Courtesy Story

Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet           

LOS ANGELES (June 1, 2020) – A detachment of 61 hospital corpsmen and nurses from hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) concluded their mission supporting state healthcare providers at greater Los An-geles-area skilled nursing facilities, May 31.
While Mercy departed the Port of Los Angeles May 15 after nearly 50 days pier side in support of De-partment of Defense (DoD) response efforts in the greater Los Angeles area during the coronavirus out-break, the detachment of Sailors remained in the area supporting various skilled nursing facilities, includ-ing the Fairview Developmental Center in Costa Mesa, Calif., and Santa Monica Convalescent Centers in Santa Monica, Calif.
“At the request of the State of California, we expanded our mission, sending personnel to care for patients in the skilled nursing facility,” said Capt. John Rotruck, commanding officer of Mercy’s Medical Treat-ment Facility. “We were able to support this additional tasking with no impact to our original mission. The medical personnel directed to the skilled nursing facility did a tremendous job. They’re the way that we have demonstrated the power of Navy Medicine on behalf of our country.”
Madelaine Batac, administrator of Santa Monica Convalescent Centers, thanked the personnel who worked in their facilities and said their efforts would be remembered.
“On behalf of Santa Monica Convalescent Centers, I would like to sincerely thank you for your support and service given to us as we continue our battle against COVID-19,” said Batac. “Your presence not only helped with our staffing, but ushered in hope, optimism, and excitement that boosted our staff’s morale and offered a much needed physical and emotional respite. We can’t thank the EMSA and US Navy enough, in collaboration with the California Department of Public Health, for your bravery and service to us. Your brief but memorable visit will leave a lasting impression and give us the fuel to continue fighting this battle.”

Hospital Corpsman Third Class Caitlin Eisenhauer, from Lansing, Mich., and currently assigned to Navy Medical Center San Diego, was proud to have participated in the skilled nursing facility mission.
“This mission was definitely rewarding,” she said. “I feel we were able to make a real impact by providing care for the patients we encountered. It’s very satisfying to know that we had an impact on both the pa-tients and the staff at the facilities.”
Mercy deployed in support of the nation's COVID-19 response efforts, and served as a referral hospital for non-COVID-19 patients admitted to shore-based hospitals. This allowed shore-based hospitals to fo-cus their efforts on COVID-19 cases. One of the Department of Defense's missions is Defense Support of Civil Authorities, and U.S. Northern Command, in support of the Federal Emergency Management Agen-cy, is leading the Department of Defense’s COVID-19 operations.
U.S. 3rd Fleet leads naval forces in the Indo-Pacific and provides the realistic, relevant training necessary for an effective global Navy.
For more news from Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet, visit www.navy.mil/local/c3f/.

• Date Taken: 05.31.2020
• Date Posted: 06.01.2020 17:11
• Story ID: 371203
• Location: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, US