TEGUCIGALPA – The Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Comfort will arrive in Puerto Castilla, Honduras on August 27, 2015 as part of the U.S. Navy’s mission Continuing Promise 2015.
During the 10-day visit, the crew will work alongside Honduran government and civilian personnel to provide free optometry, pediatric, general medicine, physical therapy and dental services to Honduran citizens. Over 9,000 Hondurans will receive basic medical and dental care from medical sites in Trujillo and Corocito. Additionally, 100 patients will benefit from surgeries performed on board the ship.
The Comfort mission crew will conduct dozens of medical, dental, veterinary, and environmental health information exchanges at local sites with the aid of Honduran partners. Along with the medical care and surgeries, engineers from the USNS Comfort will participate in construction projects at two local elementary schools and a team of veterinarians will visit farms throughout the area.
“During the Continuing Promise mission, a first for Honduras, the Comfort staff and local volunteers will provide needed medical care for thousands of Hondurans in a short period of time,” remarked Chargé d’Affaires Julie de Torres. “What is equally important is how our ability to coordinate with our Honduran counterparts to offer assistance on a large scale in the event of a national disaster or emergency will be strengthened, thanks to the partnerships we’ve formed with the government and civil society by Continuing Promise.”
Continuing Promise is a U.S. Southern Command training mission that conducts humanitarian operations including medical, dental, veterinary and engineering support and disaster response to partner nations. During this year’s mission, an estimated 130,000 patients will be seen and more than 20 engineering and building site projects will be completed in Belize, Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama, and, for the first time, Dominica and Honduras.
