PUERTO PLATA, Dominican Republic - The Mercy-class hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) departed from Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, July 21, 2025, after a four-day mission stop during Continuing Promise 2025 (CP25).

At the Dominican mission stop, Comfort’s team provided medical and dental care, veterinary subject matter exchanges, medical subject matter exchanges, a humanitarian aid and disaster response workshop, band performances, and a beach clean-up event. During CP25, a Dominican military medical team embarked with Comfort, where they worked side-by-side with the ship’s crew to provide care to patients at each site visit of the mission.

“The collaboration we experienced here exemplifies what’s possible when partners come together with a shared commitment to service,” said Capt. Grace Key, commanding officer, USNS Comfort Medical Treatment Facility. “It’s through teamwork like this that we achieve a lasting impact.”

U.S. and Dominican providers together encountered 1,588 patient at the Puerto Plata medical site. Comfort’s medical and dental teams completed 248 dental cleaning and fillings, filled 1,158 pharmaceutical prescriptions, and distributed 160 assistive devices to Dominican patients. Additionally, 24 surgeries were performed aboard Comfort. A standout moment came from one of Comfort’s hospital corpsmen who, as a child, received dental treatment at a medical site in the Dominican Republic during a Continuing Promise mission stop in 2007. Hospitalman Flor Jones Garcia, assigned to Comfort, had a tooth extracted in the Dominican Republic by the Continuing Promise medical team when she was seven years old.

“It was awesome being back here,” said Jones Garcia, “I was able to see my mother and this was the first time she saw me in uniform, so I was pretty excited. It is absolutely astounding for me to be on the other side and provide medical care. It means everything to me and I know it does to the people of Puerto Plata as well.”

The mission stop also featured the U.S. Fleet Forces Band, “Uncharted Waters,” who had the opportunity to play alongside Dominican Republic ‘Oleaje’ band and Fuerza Aérea de República Dominicana band for Dominican citizens. They performed four concerts at Central Park of Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic with a total audience of 645 people.

“It’s a great opportunity to not only share cultural aspects in terms of dance and music, but it is also to highlight the work the other lines of effort are doing for the Dominicans,” said Ens. Chris McGann, assistant director of the U.S. Fleet Forces Band.

U.S. Army veterinarians from the 248th Medical Detachment Veterinary Service Support also hosted subject matter expert exchanges while in the Dominican Republic. They trained 187 members of the Fuerza Aérea de República Dominicana in K-9 tactical combat casualty care, as well as Dominican dairy farmers on proper cattle care and sanitization techniques. Furthermore, Comfort Sailors taught a tactical combat casualty care course to Armed Forces of the Dominican Republic members and Comfort’s preventive medicine team took part in a two-day health fair hosted by the Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Public Health.

Field training exercises and a beach clean-up were also conducted in Puerto Plata. The combined efforts for the beach clean-up resulted in the 366 hours of work and the removal of 3,152 pounds of trash from the local beaches. Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HA/DR) held Search and Rescue (SAR) field training exercises with 160 Dominican participants, including federal firefighters and paramedics.

Following the mission stop in Dominican Republic, Comfort is scheduled to arrive in Limon, Costa Rica for CP25’s fifth mission stop.

CP25 marks the 16th mission to the region since 2007 and the eighth aboard USNS Comfort. The mission will foster goodwill, strengthen existing partnerships with partner nations, and encourage the establishment of new partnerships among countries, non-federal entities, and international organizations.

U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet supports U.S. Southern Command’s joint and combined military operations by employing maritime forces in cooperative maritime security operations to maintain access, enhance interoperability, and build enduring partnerships in order to enhance regional security and promote peace, stability and prosperity in the Caribbean, Central and South American region.

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