Blaine dentist begins third humanitarian mission with Navy

Blaine dentist Patrick Rooney is once again boarding the U.S. Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort, in order to provide dental care to residents of countries affected by the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela.

While the ship will not be visiting Venezuela itself, the ship will be visiting neighboring countries that have seen an influx of Venezuelan migrants. The goal is to help relieve pressure on local medical systems by providing care on the ship and at land-based medical sites.

Once a wealthy oil nation, Venezuela is in the midst of political and economic upheaval. According to reports, an estimated four million residents have emigrated due to shortages of electricity, water, food and medicine.

“It’s a desperate region,” said Rooney, who departed on August 5 and met the ship in Panama. “We’re doing good work on behalf of our gracious and generous nation to help out our partners in that region.”

USNS Comfort has already begun a five-month deployment to Central America, South America and the Caribbean in support of humanitarian and partner-building efforts as part of the U.S. Southern Command’s Enduring Promise initiative.

After joining the mission in Panama, Rooney will visit Colombia, Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, Saint Lucia, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Haiti. He will return with the ship to Norfolk, Virginia at the end of November.

At each stop, the ship’s surgeons, dentists and physical therapists will treat local residents. Routine medical procedures are performed at two medical sites that are set up, one in the harbor area and one farther inland. Meanwhile, more intensive surgeries are performed on board the ship itself.

“The local ministries of health in each country work for weeks and months ahead of our arrival to establish the logistics,” said Rooney. “The patients are never in short supply. They are prepared and told what to expect and how to plan for their day with us.”

Medical providers include active duty Navy personnel as well as civilian volunteers from a number of partner countries. Since 2007, personnel involved in USNS Comfort deployments have treated more than 488,000 patients, performed 5,500 surgeries, completed over 100 engineering projects and conducted countless other assistance activities.

This will be Rooney’s third mission with the Navy in the last three years. In 2016, he joined the USNS Mercy in the Philippines, and last year he spent three months on the USNS Comfort, visiting four countries – Ecuador, Peru, Colombia and Honduras – in 11 weeks.

Rooney said he is proud and blessed to be able to do this important work. “The patients are so grateful to see us, it’s just heartwarming,” he said. Rooney, who is 70 years old, retired in 2017 from his dental practice in Blaine. He was inspired to join these missions after serving in the Navy during the Vietnam era.

During his upcoming mission, the weather will be hot and muggy, and the conditions on board the ship will be very communal, with bunk beds stacked three high. But Rooney said it’s all worth it, to be able to help address the region’s ongoing challenges while collaborating with other top professionals.

“When you’re down there in the region, you see the crisis, it’s hands on, it’s up close and personal,” he said. “This is a chance for us to help address the crisis, one person at a time.”