Comfort, NHP personnel return home

NORFOLK, Va. – The Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort has returned here to its homeport after its crew – which included 19 personnel from Naval Hospital Pensacola, Fla. - treated thousands of people in Central and South America, including migrants who fled the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela. Capt. Kevin Buckley, commanding officer for medical operations, speaking pierside at Naval Station Norfolk, said some 26,000 people were treated for anything from hernias to cataracts. The 11-week mission stopped in countries that included Colombia, Honduras, Ecuador, and Peru. Those nations are home to hundreds of thousands of struggling Venezuelans. Many were seeking health care after fleeing Venezuela because of a lack of access to doctors. A recent report estimated 20,000 doctors have left Venezuela since 2012. (Source: Navy 12/18/18) NHP staff welcomes home Comfort sailors. https://www.facebook.com/NavalHospPensacola/photos/pcb.2084485068261718/2084484651595093/?type=3&theater