PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti—Hundreds of Haitians came running as a Marine CH-53 Sea Stallion touched down Feb. 4, scattering dust but gathering a large crowd on a field in Pignon.
Before the boxes were even off-loaded, people of all ages with inquiring eyes and smiling faces stood together, eagerly waiting to see what would come off the helicopter.
The crowd was not disappointed. One by one, members of the Joint Forces Special Operations Component Command, the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit and the World Health Organization walked out carrying boxes full of radios and medical supplies.
Just a few hours later, three more cities all over Haiti—Cap Haitien, Saint Louis du Nord and Gros Morne—had all received boxes of relief aid. In total, the four cities outside of Port-au-Prince received 600 radios and approximately 1,200 pounds of medical supplies.
This latest collaboration between the U.S. military and the World Health Organization began a few days ago, when JFSOCC members came to the organization with information about medical needs at the clinics in the four cities. After working out the supply logistics, the JFSOCC coordinated air transportation support from the CH-53, which was based on the USS Bataan.
"Providing essential medicines to health professionals during an emergency is critical," said Ian Stein, WHO emergency response team program officer. "Through this collaboration we were able to expand our capacity to ensure that medicines end up where they are needed."
The medical supplies provided by the WHO included multiple "Kit 10,000s," which contain enough medicines, medical devices and equipment to treat 10,000 individuals.
The radios provided by JFSOCC allow more individuals to hear public service announcements regarding humanitarian assistance and messages of hope that the international community is here to help. These solar- and hand-cranked radios are also equipped with a flashlight and a USB-port to charge any device with a USB connection.
All of the supplies were delivered to the various non-governmental organizations that are helping manage the clinics in each of the cities.
"I think this mission today is an example of how partnerships should form in times of emergencies," Stein said. "We are able to develop nimble plans for immediate response and implement them with success. If we can continue this style of work, we know that we will continue to save lives together."
The hundreds of smiling people in Pignon, Cap Haitien, Saint Louis du Nord and Gros Morne have already seen the effects of this partnership first-hand.
| Date Taken: |
02.04.2010 |
| Date Posted: |
02.05.2010 13:08 |
| Story ID: |
44994 |
| Location: |
PORT-AU-PRINCE, HT |
| Web Views: |
360 |
| Downloads: |
320 |
PUBLIC DOMAIN
This work, World Health Organization and US military team up to deliver 600 radios, 1,200 pounds of medical supplies to four clinics outside Port-au-Prince, by 2nd Lt. Victoria Brayton, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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