By Karen S. Carter
Tuesday, August 4, 2020 2:31 pm
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On Thursday, July 23, the Washington Army National Guard flew in two portable ventilators to the Port of Willapa Airport. Pacific County Emergency Management Agency Director Scott McDougall took possession of the ventilators.
"Those ventilators have been delivered to the local hospitals," said McDougall. "One went to Willapa Harbor Hospital and one went to Ocean Beach Hospital. These [ventilators] will potentially be used for patient transports where a ventilated patient requires this device to support their breathing."
The ventilators originate from the Washington State Department of Health and are a much needed piece of equipment to help people in respiratory distress. The acquisition of the equipment was coordinated by the Alternate Care Facility/Isolation Workgroup.
So why fly the equipment in rather than ship it in the more traditional way? "The military flies training missions constantly," said McDougall. "By using these training missions with these deliveries, they were able to use a small number of personnel to deliver lots of small packages in a very efficient amount of time."