The Samaritan’s Purse DC-8 will airlift a 68-bed emergency field-hospital to northern Italy on Tuesday. Click the video player above to see the plane staged before Tuesday’s takeoffThe cargo plane will carry approximately 20 tons of medical equipment, a specialized respiratory care unit developed specifically in response to COVID-19, and 32 disaster response specialists including respiratory therapists, doctors, and nurses. Kelly Sites is a disaster assistance response nurse with years of experience in dealing with crisis. She said the work can be chaotic.”A lot of things change rapidly, conditions change rapidly. We know to expect that, so we’re all prepared with everything that we need on the flight, so we’ll hit the ground running,” Sites said.The emergency field-hospital will be set up just outside of Milan, Italy, where the coronavirus pandemic has overwhelmed the local medical infrastructure, leaving many families without access to critical care. The country is now reporting hundreds of deaths each day. The Samaritan’s Purse International Health Unit has closely monitored the COVID-19 outbreak since it began.“We are going to Italy to provide life-saving care in Jesus’ Name to people who are suffering,” said Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse. “There is a lot of fear and panic around the world, but we put our trust in God—and we want to share that hope with others. Please continue to pray for everyone affected by this global health crisis and for our medical team as they respond.”As Samaritan’s Purse deploys to Italy, the disaster response team continues to monitor the developing situation and is prepared to respond in the U.S. if asked. Infectious disease experts have been working in coordination with the World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to ensure the team is taking necessary precautions. Assistant to the Vice President of International Response Edward Graham said the responders will spend at least a month in the country. Samaritan’s Purse said it is working with the World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to take precautions for those going to Italy. The disaster response team is also prepared to respond in the U.S. if needed.”We’ve been entrusted with an unbelievable amount of resources this hospital, these planes to get over there in a time of crisis when other people might not go or have the capability to go we’ve been entrusted to do so. It’s all about sharing the hope of Jesus Christ,” Graham said.
The Samaritan’s Purse DC-8 will airlift a 68-bed emergency field-hospital to northern Italy on Tuesday.
Click the video player above to see the plane staged before Tuesday’s takeoff
The cargo plane will carry approximately 20 tons of medical equipment, a specialized respiratory care unit developed specifically in response to COVID-19, and 32 disaster response specialists including respiratory therapists, doctors, and nurses.
Kelly Sites is a disaster assistance response nurse with years of experience in dealing with crisis. She said the work can be chaotic.
“A lot of things change rapidly, conditions change rapidly. We know to expect that, so we’re all prepared with everything that we need on the flight, so we’ll hit the ground running,” Sites said.
The emergency field-hospital will be set up just outside of Milan, Italy, where the coronavirus pandemic has overwhelmed the local medical infrastructure, leaving many families without access to critical care.
The country is now reporting hundreds of deaths each day. The Samaritan’s Purse International Health Unit has closely monitored the COVID-19 outbreak since it began.
“We are going to Italy to provide life-saving care in Jesus’ Name to people who are suffering,” said Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse. “There is a lot of fear and panic around the world, but we put our trust in God—and we want to share that hope with others. Please continue to pray for everyone affected by this global health crisis and for our medical team as they respond.”
As Samaritan’s Purse deploys to Italy, the disaster response team continues to monitor the developing situation and is prepared to respond in the U.S. if asked. Infectious disease experts have been working in coordination with the World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to ensure the team is taking necessary precautions.
Assistant to the Vice President of International Response Edward Graham said the responders will spend at least a month in the country. Samaritan’s Purse said it is working with the World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to take precautions for those going to Italy. The disaster response team is also prepared to respond in the U.S. if needed.
“We’ve been entrusted with an unbelievable amount of resources this hospital, these planes to get over there in a time of crisis when other people might not go or have the capability to go we’ve been entrusted to do so. It’s all about sharing the hope of Jesus Christ,” Graham said.
