Military

Comfort Hosts Haitian Prime Minister

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS070906-08
Release Date: 9/6/2007 12:29:00 PM

By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Kelly E. Barnes, USNS Comfort Public Affairs

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (NNS) -- The prime minister of Haiti toured hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20), Sept. 5, during the ship’s humanitarian mission to Port-au-Prince.

Prime Minister Jacques-Édouard Alexis was accompanied by U.S. Ambassador to Haiti Janet A. Sanderson, Canadian Ambassador to Haiti Claude Boucher and Haitian government officials.

“This bears witness to the friendship that has evolved between the two governments and the people,” Alexis said.

For the tour, Alexis visited Comfort’s casualty and receiving area, the operating rooms, the dental department, a patient ward and the intensive care unit where patients recover after surgery.

Alexis said he’s impressed with the crew’s dedication and hard work during the mission.

“It has been a long time since Haiti has received this type of mission,” Alexis said. “I’d like to thank the entire crew and everyone working on this ship for helping.”

Sanderson said she’s grateful for Comfort’s presence and recognized the growing kinship between the two countries.

“By being here, we’re able to demonstrate one of the things that’s best about the United States – the care and comfort we provide to those in need,” Sanderson said. “We see the very real partnership that we are in the process of building with our Haitian friends.”

Comfort is on a four-month humanitarian deployment to Latin America and the Caribbean providing medical assistance to patients in a dozen countries. The deployment is in support of the U.S. Southern Command’s Partnership for the Americas initiative, strengthening the ties between the U.S. and partner nations.