Haitian Earthquake Relief: Disaster Response Aboard the USNS Comfort

• 2012

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• Ryan Walk; Timothy Donahue; Zsolt Stockinger; M. Margaret Knudson; Miguel Cubano; Richard Sharpe
PMID: 23241468DOI: https://doi.org/10.1001/dmp.2012.67

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This article describes the USNS Comfort's role in helping Haiti after the earthquake on January 12, 2010. The ship left Baltimore, Maryland quickly and reached Haiti by January 19. Over 40 days, it treated many patients, with ages ranging from newborns to elderly people. A total of 872 patients were cared for, and many needed surgery or amputations. The effort showed how important teamwork is between different groups like the Haitian Ministry of Health and U.S. military during disasters to provide medical care effectively in such emergencies.

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Tags

Focus Areas: Everyday Emergency; Natural Disasters; Trauma

Audiences: Emergency Managers; Public Health Professionals

Emergency Management Stage: Response

Collection: Disaster Research Literature Review

Keywords: Disaster Planning; Disasters; Earthquakes; Haiti; Hospitals, Military; Natural Disasters; Relief Work; Ships; Triage; Mass Casualty Incidents

Institutions: Walter Reed National Military Medical Center; Naval Medical Center Portsmouth; San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center; University of California San Francisco; Military Health System

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