USNS MERCY COMPLETES SUCCESSFUL MISSION IN THE PHILIPPINES
The San Diego, California-based hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH19) departed the Republic of the Philippines today en route to its next stop in Vietnam, following 20 days of humanitarian and civic assistance to the people of the Republic of the Philippines.
Aboard the Mercy, medical teams treated 961 patients. On land in the Cotabato area and Samar, medical, dental, and veterinary teams provided free medical and dental care to another 25,422 patients and free veterinary care to 4,367 animals. Engineering teams working in Mindanao completed renovations of two health clinics, and teams in Samar constructed a new health center and renovated a hospital, a pharmacy, a municipal health office, and a wastewater treatment system.
In Manila, the ship’s crew assisted with building homes for Baseco Compound residents in cooperation with non-governmental organization Gawad Kalinga and presented a donation of health care items from the American people. The Pacific Fleet Band on board the USNS Mercy also gave a free concert at SM Manila.
The Mercy’s 2008 mission was made possible through the support of the government of the Republic of the Philippines, local governments in Mindanao and Samar, partnerships with local medical care professionals, and by the support of non-governmental organizations including the 3P Foundation, Operation Smile, Cranial-Facial Foundation, Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society, Bangsamoro Women of Solidarity Forum, Institute of Bangsamoro Studies, SHIELD, Calbayog Rotary Club, CARHAN, Association of Filipino Doctors in America, WESADEF, Culion Foundation Inc., Barangay Health Workers Federation, the Calbayog Commission on Health Care, and the Samar Medical Society.
For more information, please contact the press office of the U.S. Embassy in Manila at 63-2- 301-2452 or visit http://manila.usembassy.gov. For more on the USNS Mercy’s 2008 mission, visit http://www.cpf.navy.mil/subsite/pp08/index.html.
