PUERTO BARRIOS, Guatemala (NNS) -- The Caribbean port city of Puerto Barrios, Guatemala, welcomed the Continuing Promise 2010 (CP10) team Sept. 2.
The team began eight days of medical, dental, optometry, engineering and subject matter expert exchange partnerships in Puerto Barrios Sept. 3.
CP10 is a humanitarian civic assistance (HCA) mission delivering medical, dental, veterinary, engineering, subject matter expert exchange and disaster response cooperation to host nations to include Haiti, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama, Suriname and Guyana.
To get to one of three medical sites, military and civilian doctors and nurses travel just after sunrise and before sundown from USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) to the Santo Tomas De Castilla Naval Base by landing craft utility.
They then take a 20-minute van ride to the medical site at the Guatemalan Instituto Nacional Experimental. At this site, medical and support personnel are using classrooms as general practice, dental surgery, optometrist and pharmacy centers.
Iwo Jima's embarked Special Purpose Air-Ground Task Force (SPMAGTF) Marines provide crowd control support to ensure patients are seen in a safe and orderly fashion.
Once inside the school compound, locals are directed by members of the CP10 team toward general practice doctors, medical screeners, dentists or many other of the available services.
Another aspect of CP10 is the use of translators – a key communication tool that bridges the gaps between doctor and patient, English and Spanish speaking people.
Prisala Auila, a senior-year university dental student and CP10 translator from Guatemala City, Guatemala, hopes to open her own dental office next year and save enough money to visit her friends currently attending university in Minnesota.
"It's a good thing, what all of us are doing here, to help out Puerto Barrios," said Auila.
Byron Solares, governor of Izabal Department, visited the medical site to see the people of his department receiving help from the CP10 team.
"It is great you are here to offer your services," said Solares, "It's a pleasure and an honor to have you here. CP10 shows not just your professional capability, but your caring and kindness as well."
With all of the members of the CP10 team working, more than 300 patients were seen during their second day in Guatemala alone.
One of these patients, Dunia Veliz, traveled from a town almost four hours away. She patiently waited with her 13-year old son and 7-year old daughter for a general check-up for herself and the children.
"Really grateful for all the support to her community because no one helps them out, and it is a nice thing to do," said Veliz.
Likewise, Marta Lucero, a Puerto Barrios resident, heard about the medical site from the local radio station. She said she was thankful for the "good care" she received and expressed thanks for all the help CP10 was providing her community.
Guatemala is the fourth of eight nations of the U.S. Southern Command's humanitarian civic assistance mission Continuing Promise 2010.
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