PORT-au-PRINCE, Haiti (NNS) — Haiti’s prime minister arrived aboard hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) April 11 to thank the crew for coming to Haiti to provide medical, dental, veterinary and engineering assistance.

Prime Minister Michele Pierre-Louis and her staff were shown Comfort’s state-of-the-art equipment and asked questions of the ship’s medical staff. Pierre-Louis also met with fellow Haitians awaiting treatment, and had the opportunity to give Hugs Across America teddies to children awaiting care. 

   Comfort is in Haiti as part of a four-   month humanitarian and civic assistance mission to Latin America and    the Caribbean region in support of Continuing Promise 2009.

It is said by Haitian officials that, “There is so much uncontrolled violence associated with gang activity in this part of the country. We provide medical care for up to twelve people a day coming in with gashes, cuts, burns, and machete wounds. The resources we are receiving will sustain our medical supply for over a year to enable care for people after Continuing Promise ’09 departs Haiti.  Now the Citi Soleil community will understand clearly that Americans are willing to help,” said Fritzner. “Everyone is talking about CP09 here. Seeing people in uniform used to be something they feared and now they realize that they are here to help.”