171019-N-ZN152-0041 CARIBBEAN SEA (Oct. 19, 2017) -

171019-N-ZN152-0041 CARIBBEAN SEA (Oct. 19, 2017) - Sailors embarked aboard the Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) escort aboard aboard a patient to receive care during a medical evacuation from a local hospital in Puerto Rico. An Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, assigned to C Co., 6th Battalion, Combat Aviation Brigade, conducted the patient transfer. Comfort is underway operating in the vicinity of Ponce, Puerto Rico, to provide medical services with additional visits being planned around the island. The U.S. Health and Human Services and Puerto Rico Department of Health representatives are prioritizing patients at each stop prior to Comfort's arrival. The Department of Defense is supporting the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the lead federal agency, in helping those affected by Hurricane Maria to minimize suffering and is one component of the overall whole-of-government response effort. (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Ernest R. Scott/Released)