Mass. General Doctors And Nurses Head To Puerto Rico

BOSTON (AP) - Massachusetts is sending a team of medical professionals to help with hurricane relief efforts in Puerto Rico.

The state Emergency Management Agency says the 26-person team from Massachusetts General Hospital will deploy Saturday and work on the Caribbean island for about 16 days.

The team includes 15 nurses, four nurse practitioners, five doctors, one physician assistant and one logistics and security staffer.

The EMA has previously announced deployments for roughly 70 local and state law enforcement officers and dozens of other government staffers as part of the national mutual aid system that facilitates state-to-state disaster assistance.

Massachusetts has among the highest concentrations of Puerto Rican families in the country. Thousands of the island territory's U.S. citizens are still homeless weeks after Hurricane Maria hit Sept. 20.