USS Comfort In Haiti

The primary mission of the Medical Treatment Facility (MEDTRE FAC) in USNS Comfort is to provide a mobile, flexible, and rapidly responsive afloat medical capability for acute medical and surgical care in support of amphibious task forces, Marine Corps, Army and Air Force elements, forward deployed Navy elements of the fleet and fleet activities located in areas where hostilities may be imminent. Operations are governed by the principles of the "Geneva Convention for the Amelioration of the Wounded, Sick, and Shipwrecked Members of the Armed Forces at Sea" of August 12, 1949.

As a secondary mission, MEDTRE FAC COMFORT is capable of providing a full hospital service asset for use by other government agencies involved in the support of relief and humanitarian operations worldwide. These mission statements are accountable to both the Reduced Operating Status (ROS) and Full Operating Status (FOS) military personnel staffed at National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda MD. until the ship is activated. However, the ROS personnel's immediate and number one priority is to fully activate the ship to a FOS Echelon III Medical Treatment Facility within the prescribed 5-day time frame. In meeting these missions, the ROS personnel perform the following functions:
1. Serve as the nucleus of the critical core required to execute activations;
2. Develop, test, and maintain systems and procedures to support ctivation process;
3. Orient and train FOS augmenting staff;
4. Monitor/assess the medical treatment facility's overall ability to fully activate/perform mission