2007 Press Releases

U.S. Naval Hospital Ship to Visit Trinidad and Tobago

May 4, 2007

USNS Comfort.  Full Size

The Comfort, a 900-foot U.S. Navy hospital ship, will conduct a four-month deployment to the Caribbean and Central and South America, providing specialized medical aid. General and specialized surgical care, primary care for adults and children, dental, ophthalmologic and optometric services can be provided by the staff.

On May 9, several U.S. Navy doctors will visit Trinidad to meet with Ministry of Health officials to plan the Comfort’s upcoming visit.  They will determine the most pressing medical needs and decide the level of local medical staff participation.  Since during the Comfort’s visit most of the medical care will be provided ashore, the medical team and the Ministry of Health will also visit several hospitals to determine which will best support the mission. 

The Comfort’s embarked Medical Treatment Facility is among the largest trauma facilities in the United States, featuring 12 operating rooms.  Offering a full spectrum of medical and surgical services, the Comfort can be configured to accommodate up to 1000 beds.  When in full operating status, the ship can expand to 1,215 Navy medical and non-medical personnel; additional medical staff primarily comes from medical facilities on the East Coast of the United States.