A Search and Rescue team from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island conducted a medical evacuation Sunday from Eliza Island to Peace Health St. Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham.

The SAR team was at a Canada Day event at Point Roberts for static display support when they received notification at about 11 a.m. that a 73-year-old male required transport to higher care from a residence on Eliza Island, west of Bellingham. While Bellingham Fire Department personnel had responded by boat, it was deemed too risky to transport the patient in the high winds over rough water from Eliza Island to Bellingham.

The SAR crew landed in a field near the residence and once the patient turnover was complete, they proceeded directly to St. Joseph Medical Center, where the patient was transferred to a higher level of care.

This was the second medical evacuation of 2018 for NAS Whidbey SAR, which has also conducted four searches and 14 rescues, delivering 20 lives to a higher level of care.