Today, I am especially proud that members of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, HHS’s uniformed service, will be shipping out on the Comfort to assist in its work. This is the first deployment of Public Health Service Commissioned Corps officers on the Comfort since 2011. An immense amount of work and coordination goes into staffing the Comfort, and I am so glad HHS could play a part.
As Prepared for Delivery
Thank you, everyone, for joining us here today. It’s an honor to be here alongside Vice President Pence, joining in the send-off for one of the great symbols of American generosity, the USNS Comfort.
As many of you know, the Vice President has been a leader in the world’s response to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in South America, caused by the failed Maduro regime. HHS has been proud to play a role in President Trump and Vice President Pence’s work to address this challenge.
The Maduro regime destroyed the country’s healthcare system, sending refugees with serious health needs fleeing all across South America. So HHS, through the CDC and other institutions, has been supporting these nations in meeting the health needs of those fleeing Venezuela, through support for acquiring vaccines, tracking infectious disease, addressing social service needs, and more. I have helped convene health ministers from around the region to coordinate on this work, and we are planning to join the next meeting of regional health ministers on this topic, in August in Colombia.
Today, I am especially proud that members of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, HHS’s uniformed service, will be shipping out on the Comfort to assist in its work. This is the first deployment of Public Health Service Commissioned Corps officers on the Comfort since 2011. An immense amount of work and coordination goes into staffing the Comfort, and I am so glad HHS could play a part.
Again, thank you all for your attention to the crisis unfolding in South America, and thank you to all the American servicemen and women who are working hard to respond. We look forward to the day when the long-suffering people of Venezuela have emerged from this crisis, and we can work directly with them to achieve a shared goal of health and prosperity for all. Thank you again.
