VZCZCXRO4805
RR RUEHGR
DE RUEHWN #0312 1481231
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 281231Z MAY 09
FM AMEMBASSY BRIDGETOWN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7420
INFO RUCNCOM/EC CARICOM COLLECTIVE
RUMIAAA/HQ USSOUTHCOM J2 MIAMI FL
RUMIAAA/HQ USSOUTHCOM J5 MIAMI FL

UNCLAS BRIDGETOWN 000312 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: MASS PREL XL
SUBJECT: USNS COMFORT VISIT DAZZLES ANTIGUA 
 
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SUMMARY 
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¶1.  (U) The May 5-16 goodwill visit of the U.S. Navy Hospital Ship 
Comfort to Antigua and Barbuda drew rave reviews from every corner 
of the country.  The visit directly touched over 55,000 lives -- 
well over half the population of the country -- along with numerous 
others through community relations events and other projects. 
According to Antigua's opposition leader, the Comfort vastly 
outperformed years of Cuban medical assistance to Antigua "in one 
fell swoop," and reset opinions in the country about America's 
commitment to the region following a decade of perceived neglect. 
Visits such as this are among our most effective diplomatic tools in 
the region and should continue to be deployed liberally.  End 
summary. 
 
¶2.  (U) The USNS Comfort, a hospital ship, visited Antigua and 
Barbuda May 5-16 following visits to Haiti and the Dominican 
Republic.  During the eleven-day stay, the Comfort treated over 
12,000 patients (including the Prime Minister and senior government 
figures) and provided additional health care services to almost 
43,000 additional people.  The more than 55,000 "encounters" 
represent nearly two-thirds of the population of this twin-island 
nation, and just over one-third of all the encounters for the entire 
deployment -- making Antigua by far the largest beneficiary of the 
Comfort's services on a per capita basis. 
 
¶3.  (U) In addition to medical services, the crew of the Comfort, 
along with NGOs and international guests on board, conducted 
outreach events, made donations of equipment and supplies, and 
engaged in numerous local community events including a Sports Day 
and a social event with local nurses.  The Comfort was the talk of 
the island throughout its deployment, thanks to excellent media 
coverage.  Tellingly, for a week and a half even the taxi drivers' 
mantra of "can you get me a visa?" was displaced by "can you get me 
an appointment on the ship?", and Comfort crew members attained 
almost rock star status.  The deployment enjoyed strong support from 
both the government and the opposition, despite some organizational 
snafus in the planning stages.  Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer and 
most of his cabinet attended both the opening and closing 
ceremonies, as well as a "Distinguished Visitors" lunch aboard the 
ship. 
 
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COMMENT 
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¶4.  (U) The effectiveness of the visit, and the easily observable 
positive impact it had throughout the island, was perhaps best 
summed up by Opposition Leader Lester Bird, who told the Charge at 
the closing that "in one fell swoop, you have overcome years of 
Cuban medical assistance to this country" and reversed a decade-long 
feeling that Washington had forgotten about its neighbors along the 
third border.  Bird's commentary, and the genuine gratitude that was 
exhibited throughout the island, was proof positive of the 
effectiveness of this medical diplomacy in winning hearts and minds 
in the region.  A steady diet of this kind of outreach is exactly 
what the region needs to overcome the growing dollar diplomacy 
influence of Venezuela and China and restore the United States as 
the "partner of choice" in the region. 
 
HARDT