Southern Command Announces Continued Humanitarian Assistance to Haiti

MIAMI, April 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) announced today a New Horizons humanitarian assistance exercise in Haiti that will provide much needed medical and engineering services to several communities outside of Port au Prince, including Gonaives, beginning 1 June through September.

According to Lt. Gen. Ken Keen, SOUTHCOM's military deputy commander and previous commander of Joint Task Force-Haiti, the robust U.S. military humanitarian assistance mission consists of approximately 500 troops led by the Louisiana National Guard.

The New Horizons projects and medical assistance sites are at locations selected in coordination with the Government of Haiti and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to fit within post-earthquake requirements.

Engineering projects include:  renovation of a school roof; new construction at three schools; water well improvements; and a sports recreation area.

Free medical care will be provided at five different sites.  U.S. military medical staff will be at each site for 10 days and will provide general medical, dental and optometry care for up to 700 patients daily.  Veterinary care will also be available.

The New Horizon team continues the Department of Defense commitment to helping the people of Haiti and supporting USAID, which is leading the overall U.S. assistance effort in Haiti.

The assistance from New Horizons is in addition to the over $1.03 billion in emergency humanitarian assistance already provided to the Haitian people by the U.S. Government in the aftermath of the January 12 earthquake.

New Horizons began in the mid-1980s as an annual series of joint and combined humanitarian assistance exercises that U.S. Southern Command conducts with Latin American and Caribbean nations.  Typically, New Horizons exercises last several months, providing medical services and infrastructure projects, while giving deployed U.S. military forces invaluable opportunities to work with Partner Nations.  

SOURCE U.S. Southern Command

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