In San Diego, Lieutenant Commander Baldomero Sagrado, a resident of Mission Viejo, California, is currently serving aboard the hospital ship USNS Mercy as part of Pacific Partnership 2024-1 (PP24-1). Departing from its homeport on October 10, the Mercy set sail with over 800 military medical personnel and support staff, along with the afloat medical treatment facility and over 70 civil service mariners. Their mission is to participate in the 19th iteration of the largest annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Pacific region.
The focus of this annual maritime humanitarian and civic assistance mission is to enhance disaster response preparedness, resiliency, and capacity while strengthening partnerships with participating nations and civilian humanitarian organizations throughout the Indo-Pacific region.
Capt. Brian Quin, the mission commander for Pacific Partnership 2024-1, emphasized, “This mission reflects the continued commitment to the region and dedication to disaster-response-readiness from the United States, our partners and allies, and the host nations.”
Sagrado serves as a Navy pharmacist aboard the USNS Mercy, responsible for the safety and well-being of patients requiring medication. As a vital member of the medical team, Sagrado’s duties include verifying medication dosage, assessing potential interactions with other prescribed medications, monitoring for adverse drug reactions, and ensuring drug efficacy.
Expressing his dedication to the mission, Sagrado stated, “The most rewarding aspect of this mission is working and collaborating with the ship’s healthcare team with the common goal of providing the best medical care for our host nation patients.”
Host nations extend invitations to the U.S. Navy and its mission partners to conduct tailored humanitarian civic action activities, encompassing areas such as engineering, disaster response, host nation outreach events, and public health initiatives. Selection criteria for mission destinations include U.S. Navy and partner nation regional interests, as well as host nation objectives and desires.
Reflecting on the unique nature of the Pacific Partnership mission, Sagrado remarked, “This mission is different from other missions I have been on because of the humanitarian aspect. I get to see how different countries’ healthcare systems work.”
The Pacific Partnership mission team aboard USNS Mercy will make stops in the Republic of Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands, Palau, and the Federated States of Micronesia. Collaborating with each host, experts in engineering, medicine, and disaster response will engage in civic-action projects, community health exchanges, medical symposiums, and disaster response training activities.
Sagrado shared how the mission has influenced his perspective: “PP24 has changed my outlook by helping me appreciate what we have back in the states and to not take our healthcare for granted.”
Originating in response to the catastrophic December 2004 tsunami in Southeast Asia, Pacific Partnership has evolved into an operation focused on enhancing partnerships through host nation subject matter expert and civil-military exchanges.