specialreport
BY STEVE GEARY, EDITOR AT LARGE
DEFENSE
A HAITIAN BOY PLAYS IN THE WATER IN CARREFOUR, HAITI, FEB. 4, 2010, WHILE THE U.S. NAVY HOSPITAL SHIP COMFORT LIES OFFSHORE.
Supplying Comfort
When disaster strikes, the
U.S. Navy hospital ship
Comfort aims to be on
the spot ready to treat
patients within five days.
An innovative supply chain
strategy makes it all work.
WHEN DISASTER HITS, THE WORLD MOBILIZES. AND SO IT WAS AFTER
a devastating earthquake shook Haiti in January 2010. Among the responders
that rushed to the scene was the U.S. Navy hospital ship Comfort. A full-service
hospital ship, the Comfort provides acute medical and surgical care for the sick
and injured, whether deployed military forces or victims of disaster.
With 12 operating rooms, an intensive care ward, medical labs, capacity for
1,000 patient beds, and a flight deck able to handle the largest military helicopters, the vessel is uniquely equipped to treat patients like the earthquake victims.
What it did not have at the time of the earthquake, however, was the vast quantity of medical and surgical supplies—more than 5,000 lines—its medical personnel would need when the ship reached the island.
