WHAT: Press conference to discuss the U.S. Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort’s upcoming medical assistance mission in South America, Central America and the Caribbean.
WHO: Mike Pence, Vice President of the United States; Carlos Vecchio, Venezuelan Ambassador to the United States; and U.S. Navy Adm. Craig Faller, commander of U.S. Southern Command.
WHEN: Tuesday, June 18. Press pre-setup from 6:30-7:30 a.m., 7:30 a.m. exit for sweeps, and 9:30 a.m. return. Press entry closes at 11 a.m.
WHERE: Port Miami, Terminal E. Press parking available at the lot west of Terminal E with signs indicating the parking entrance. General parking is available in Lot E across the street from the terminal.
WHY: The ship will depart Miami June 18 to begin a five-month medical assistance mission with scheduled stops in Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, Panama, Saint Lucia, and St. Kitts and Nevis. The ship’s embarked medical teams will provide care on board and at land-based medical sites, helping to relieve pressure on national medical systems strained partly by an increase in displaced Venezuelans. The region is currently experiencing an ever-worsening humanitarian crisis due to the ongoing political and economic instability in Venezuela.
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PRESS RSVP INSTRUCTIONS: Interested media should contact U.S. Southern Command’s Public Affairs Office with their journalists’ names, affiliations, titles, cell phones and emails no later than noon Monday, June 17. For security reasons, journalists will be required to display their newsroom-issued credentials while covering this event.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE USNS COMFORT DEPLOYMENT 2019:
U.S. Navy Hospital Ship, Enduring Promise Mission Returns in Response to Venezuela Regional Crisis
https://www.southcom.mil/News/PressReleases/Article/1838995/news-release-us-navy-hospital-ship-enduring-promise-mission-returns-in-response/
ABOUT USNS COMFORT’S PREVIOUS MISSION IN THE REGION:
https://www.southcom.mil/Media/Special-Coverage/Hospital-Ship-Medical-Assistance-Mission-USNS-Comfort-in-Latin-America/