Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs Visits USNS Mercy

OFF THE COAST OF BANDA ACEH (NNS) -- Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs Dr. William Winkenwerder Jr. visited the hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) on station off the coast of Banda Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia, Feb. 19.

Mercy, with its crew of Navy medical personnel, volunteer health care providers from the non-governmental organization (NGO) Project HOPE and uniformed members of the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) are currently conducting humanitarian assistance operations in the tsunami-devastated region.

Winkenwerder flew to the ship via Navy helicopter where he was met by Capt. Mark Llewellyn, commanding officer of the ship’s Medical Treatment Facility (MTF). Following lunch with the ship’s senior medical personnel, Llewellyn gave Winkenwerder a tour of the MTF, where numerous patients from Banda Aceh are being treated.

“I think it’s good that our senior leaders come here to see firsthand what we’re doing for the people here on the ship and ashore,” said Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Aura Nafus, of Mercy’s patient administration department. “It was such a horrible disaster and they lost so much.”

At the end of the tour, Winkenwerder met with Navy, NGO and USPHS medical personnel in Mercy’s wardroom where they presented him with an in-depth brief on what Mercy has accomplished since arriving in the region Feb. 3. Following the brief, Winkenwerder spoke to the assembled Mercy crew on the ship’s mess deck, congratulating them on their contributions.

“I want to say to you that as humanitarians, you are representing the United States, not just the government of the United States, but the people of the United States,” said Winkenwerder. “I want to say thank you for all you’re doing. You are doing great work. You are doing much needed work that is making a real difference.”

Mercy is deployed to the region as part of Operation Unified Assistance, the multinational response to the tsunami disaster.

For related news, visit the Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet Navy NewsStand page at www.news.navy.mil/local/c7f.