Working Hard for the People of Haiti

Apologize for the delay in updating you all on where things are with the Comfort, but as you can guess we have been quite busy over the past few days. We have already seen more than 500 patients and conducted well over 100 surgeries.

As we go along, our processes just keep getting better allowing us to help more people. It's amazing to watch the teamwork and camaraderie develop. We usually take our first patients of the day at around 7 a.m. and continue embarking patients up to sunset. We can't fly patients after sunset over the water unless it's an emergency.

While the admittance of patients may stop at sunset, it doesn't mean we are done for the day. We ensure that we fill every bed in casualty receiving and the holding wards to maximize our patient flow.

We also use this time to take on supplies via helicopters. This usually requires a team of 40 Sailors or so, who have already put in a full day elsewhere. They do not complain, though. They came here to help and know that supplies are critical to our ability to do so.

When walking around at night, the fact that the ship never sleeps is apparent. Our wards are filling up, the OR runs to early in the morning, the ICU's are packed.

As night sets in, there is quiet professionalism displayed by the medical professionals as they go about the business of providing care to the injured. The supply folks move supplies to where they are needed so as not to impact the high volume of patient flow, the galley is open 24-hours-a-day, and the ships store and barbershop have extended hours to meet the demands of all of the shift work being done.

Every person aboard is focused and willing to give everything they have to help. And they do! With every little bit that they do, in each and every hour, from night to day, they are making a difference for the people of Haiti.