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Navy Transports Civilian Doctors and Nurses to Support Relief Effort

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS100204-16
Release Date: 2/4/2010 5:23:00 PM

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Lily Daniels, U.S. 4th Fleet Public Affairs

MAYPORT, Fla (NNS) -- Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 58 (VR-58) transported 25 civilian doctors and nurses from Naval Air Station (NAS) Jacksonville, Fla. to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, aboard a Boeing C-40A Clipper military transport Feb. 3 to support Operation Unified Response.

The civilians are members of various non-governmental organizations (NGO) who are beginning the transition into a long-term relief effort.

"At the moment we're dealing with NGOs who will specifically be working aboard the Comfort," said Cmdr. Mike Wesson, maritime planner for U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command (NAVSO) and U.S. 4th Fleet (C4F), who coordinated the flights for the NGOs.

The volunteers' occupational backgrounds range from registered nurses, certified registered nurse and anesthetists to orthopedic surgeons. This group will work side-by-side with naval medical personnel aboard the hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) for two weeks.

"There are a couple different reasons why we partner with the NGOs," said Wesson. "One is that they're filling critical billets onboard the Comfort, and the NGOs provide an enduring capacity in-country after the immediate needs are met by the U.S. military. Two, we provide the immediate response, but the transition phase requires non-Department of Defense personnel to work with the United States Agency for International Development to support the needs of the Haitian people."

The flight marked the first of a regular rotation schedule that the Navy will provide bringing NGOs to Haiti.

"We're envisioning two to three flights a week to transport NGOs there and back. Fleet Logistics Support Wing, a Reservist-augmented aviation wing, has pledged their continued support for this," added Wesson.

The volunteers travelled to NAS Jacksonville, where they received a military escort to the C-40A reserved for their flight.

"It has been crazy, since the moment we stepped off the plane we've been treated like VIPs," said Tim Thomas, a registered nurse from Watsonville, Calif. "It's awesome, everything has been very organized."

Many of the volunteers expressed their eargerness to participate in Operation Unified Response.

"I'll certainly walk away with a greater understanding of the devastation and human suffering, but we're [surgeons from Orthopedic Trauma Association] really here to help those who are suffering," said Larry Bone, chairman of the Department of Orthopedics at State University of New York at Buffalo. "There are complex situations down there that the basic orthopedic surgeons aren't experienced with. We're trauma 'orthos' trained for these injuries. I want to get there to fix the people with injuries that are three weeks old."

In addition to the doctors and nurses who were flown to Haiti, a technician from General Electric's medical systems department was sent to install a new internventional X-ray system commonly known as the C-Arm aboard the Comfort.

"It is a great pleasure to be chosen to represent my company, and a good opportunity to help the country where I'm from," said Kenney Jean-Baptiste, a native Haitian based out of Atlanta. "I'm hoping once I'm done [installing the equipment] that I can help translate while I'm here and try to get in touch with my brother who I haven't been able to contact since the earthquake happened."

As the Navy component command of U.S. Southern Command, NAVSO's mission is to direct U.S. naval forces operating in the Caribbean, Central and South American regions and interact with partner nation navies within the maritime environment. In support of Operation Unified Response, C4F is tasked to coordinate the U.S. Navy's response to disaster relief in Haiti following a 7.0 magnitude earthquake Jan. 12. The focus of Operation Unified Response is to alleviate the suffering of survivors and support humanitarian relief efforts.