Media Release
Free U.S. Navy Health Care in Yap This Month
August 15, 2008
A team of health service professionals from the United States Hospital Ship USNS Mercy will visit Yap this month during the week of August 24-31. The crew of the Mercy will participate in Pacific Partnership 2008, a humanitarian civic assistance mission in the Western Pacific. The Pacific Partnership Team, working in close partnership with Yap State Health Department colleagues, will conduct medical, optometry and dental community outreach clinics at three locations in villages on the main island of Yap according to the following schedule:
- On Tuesday, August 26, and Wednesday August 27, at the Yap State Sports Complex
- On Thursday, August 28, at the Community Halls in Gargey Village
- On Friday, August 29, and Saturday, August 30, at the Yap High School Campus
Details regarding the locations for the clinics in each village will be announced by the Yap Department of Youth and Civic Affairs. Residents from any Yap village who need primary clinical care from a doctor, dentist or optometrist are encouraged to attend the most convenient clinic between the hours of 8:00 am to 5:00 pm on the dates indicated above. Patients who are screened and found to be in need of more serious health treatment, such as medical or surgical procedures, will be referred to the Yap Department of Health Services for treatment.
Since departing California on May 1, the Mercy has visited the Philippines, Vietnam, East Timor and Papua New Guinea under the banner of an initiative called Pacific Partnership 2008. The Federated States of Micronesia will be the final port of call along the route of this historic journey. The staff and crew of 900 men and women include U.S. Navy medical personnel, U.S. Public Health Service workers, U.S. Navy Seabees and embarked members of the U.S. Army and Air Force. Partner nations that have contributed to this mission include Australia, Canada, Chile, Japan, Republic of South Korea, Singapore, India, Indonesia and New Zealand. Also participating in the deployment are several non-governmental organizations that provide medical, dental, construction and other humanitarian services in Southeast Asia and the Pacific.