USNS COMFORT TRAINING

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USNS COMFORT TRAINING HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE
MISSION
COF, Deployment Panel Presentation Tucson, AZ
June 10, 2008 CAPT Craig A. Shepherd, RS, MPH,
DAAS Chief Environmental Health Officer,
USPHS Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention Atlanta, GA
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Mission Statement

• Train U.S. military personnel to provide
  Humanitarian Assistance to the people of Partner
  Nations
• Send a strong message of U.S. compassion, support
  and commitment to the Caribbean and Latin America

With the deployment of the COMFORT and the work
of the military teams, were making it
absolutely clear to people that we care
(President George W. Bushs address to the US
Hispanic Chamber of Commerce on 5 March 2007)
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(No Transcript)
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Hospital Ship Transit4 month deploymentJune 15
October 15, 2007
Norfolk, VA Depart 15 JUN Return 15 OCT
Belize City, BLZ 20 - 26 JUN
Port-Au-Prince, HTI 1 8 SEP
Colon, PAN 4 10 JUL
Pureta Barrios, GTM 26 JUN 2 JUL
Port of Spain, TTO 16 22 SEP
Panama City, PAN 11 15 JUL 29 AUG
Acajutla, SLV 25 JUL 1 AUG
Georgetown, GUY 23 SEP 1 OCT
Nieuwnickerie, SUR 1 7 OCT
Corinto, NIC 18 25 JUL
Wilemstead, ANT 10 14 SEP
Bahia Malaga, COL 22 28 AUG
120-day Deployment HA Port 83
days Under Way 26 days LOG/Port VST
11 days
Manta, ECU 15 21 AUG
Salaverry, PER 6 13 AUG
UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO
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Breakdown of Personnel Onboard, (October 5, 2007)

• Partnering
• Providers worked with regional medical
  professionals from the Latin American and
  Caribbean countries visited by the Comfort.
• Gained valuable experience in the treatment of
  indigenous patients in resource poor environments
  experience that will be useful as they provide
  care to vulnerable populations back in the United
  States.

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USPHS Comfort Team 4

• 6 Medical Doctors
• 3 Family Practice/ER (DHS, HRSA, IHS)
• 1 Preventive Medicine Physician (CDC)
• 1 Infectious Disease Physician (CDC)
• 1 Internal Medicine Physician (IHS)
• 2 Dentists (DHS, FDA)

4 Dental Hygienists (2-BOP, 2-IHS) 1 Pharmacist
(FDA) 1 Veterinarian (EPA) 2 Medical/Surgical
Nurses (HRSA, OS) 1 Environmental Engineer
(EPA) 1 Environmental Health (DHS)
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TEAM 1
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(No Transcript)
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Panama Canal August 30, 2007
Team 3
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TEAM 4
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CDR Stephen Johnson, USPHS Dentist extracting
tooth in Belize.
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USPHS Promotion Ceremony on USNS COMFORT July 3,
2007
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Livingston, Guatemala
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Colon, Panama
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Nicaragua
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Environmental Health Training, July 23,
2007 Nicaragua
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CAPT French, MD, USPHS July 19, 2007 Nicaragua
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CDR Jeff Lowell, USPHS Inactive Reserve, General
Surgeon (Team 2)
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El Salvador
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Food Service Training July 24th, El Salvador
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Veterinary Public Health August 10, 2007 Peru
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Ecuador
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Ecuador
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Columbia
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Columbia
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LT Jason Mangum, EHO (Industrial Hygienist) USNS
COMFORT Isolation Rooms September 1, 2007
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Haiti
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Haiti
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LT Jason Mangum, USPHS Environmental Health
Officer providing training in Haiti to primarily
nursing students and nurses on environmental
toxins in the environment.
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Haiti
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Left to Right CAPT Bruce Boynton CO, USNS
COMFORT RADM Kenneth Moritsugu, Acting Surgeon
General U.S. CAPT Craig Shepherd, OIC-USPHS, USNS
COMFORT Port of Spain, Trinidad
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Pharmacy Moulton Methodist Elementary
School Port of Spain, Trinidad Left to Right
LCDR Andrei Nabakowski - USPHS, CTSGT Gabriel
Castillo - AF and RADM Kenneth P. Mortisugu,
Acting Surgeon General U.S.
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RADM Kenneth P. Moritsugu, MD, MPH Acting Surgeon
General, U.S. Port of Spain, Trinidad
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USNS COMFORT CASREC TRINIDAD MINISTER of HEALTH
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RADM Moritsugu, Acting Surgeon General
U.S. Addressing USPHS Team 4 Officers on the USNS
COMFORT
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(No Transcript)
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Highlights of mission include the following
statistics

• 98,658 patients treated
• 32,322 patients immunized
• 122,322 pharmaceuticals dispensed
• 24,242 pairs of glasses dispensed
• 1,170 surgeries performed
• 25,196 dental examinations
• 3,968 dental extractions
• 20,561 dental varnishes applied
• 7,042 dental sealants applied
• 17,772 veterinary encounters
• 386,217 Total patient encounters.

LCDR Gregg Langham, USPHS veterinarian vaccinating
pigs in a rural community of Peru.
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Superior doctors prevent the disease. Mediocre
doctors treat the disease before
evident. Inferior doctors treat the full blown
disease. Huang Dee Nai-Ching (2600 B.C., 1st
Chinese Medical Text)