Comfort Arrives in Nicaragua, Continues Mission

After caring for more than 55,000 patients in Belize, Guatemala and Panama, hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) arrived in Corinto on July 18, continuing its four-month humanitarian assistance deployment. U.S. Navy, Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, U.S. Public Health Service, Canadian Forces, and Operation Smile and Project Hope personnel will continue providing the people of Latin America and the Caribbean with no-cost health care services, including adult and pediatric primary care, dental care, optometry and other services while in Nicaragua.

More than 30 "Operation Smile" personnel will board the ship here to conduct cleft lip and cleft palate operations aboard Comfort. Comfort will remain in Corinto for nearly a week conducting operations at various locations, including Corinto Hospital Jose Shendell, Centro de Salud, el Realejo and Villa de Julio Centro de Salud.

Comfort is on a 120-day humanitarian assistance deployment to Latin America and the Caribbean providing medical assistance to patients in more than a dozen countries. While deployed, Comfort is under the operational control of U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command and tactical control of Destroyer Squadron 24.

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