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Project HOPE, CP09 Volunteers Offer Medical Classes to Dominicans

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS090425-02
Release Date: 4/25/2009 11:14:00 AM

By Spc. Eric J. Cullen

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (NNS) -- Project HOPE members traveling aboard hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) brought a series of medical classes to Dominican doctors, nurses, and medical students April 24 in support of Continuing Promise 2009 (CP09).

Project HOPE is one of more than 20 non-governmental organizations that are a part of CP09. "Care of a Newborn Baby" was taught by one of the group's newest member, Suzie Piperno.

Piperno, a registered nurse from Washington, D.C., joined Project HOPE when she learned they were involved with the CP09 mission.

"It's very important to educate new parents on taking care of their newborn baby," said Martin Garcia, who is in his last year of medical school at the Universidad Central Del Este in the Dominican Republic. "It was a positive class. It was good to know about sudden infant death syndrome. You are not suppose to lay them on their side or belly when they sleep. Piperno gave the information out in a practical matter, she was down-to-earth."

"I like it when they (the students) express that they learned something new," said Piperno. "It gives them an opportunity to apply what they learned to their job."

CP09 combines U.S. military and interagency personnel, non-governmental organizations, civil service mariners, academic and partner nations to provide medical, dental, and engineering services afloat and ashore alongside host nation personnel.

Comfort has 250 patient beds and over 850 personnel embarked, employing four operating rooms, X-ray machines, CT scans, pharmacy, dental suites, physical therapy and a variety of other services.

The Dominican Republic is the second of seven countries Comfort is scheduled to visit during its four-month humanitarian and civic assistance mission to Latin America and the Caribbean region. Comfort first visited Haiti and after the Dominican Republic, it will visit Antigua and Barbuda, Colombia, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Panama.

For more news from Continuing Promise, visit www.navy.mil/local/cp/.