Operation Compassion ... The U.S.S Compassion Hospital Ship would be a Centerpiece of a U.S. Sponsored International Effort to control the Ebola Epidemic.
Operation Compassion would be a multinational effort but not a UN effort. It would be a coalition of those countries willing to be involved. Not a top down UN effort. The participation of NATO would be welcome in providing ancillary tender ships with sea and air security to make the operation successful
Heart of the Concept: Provide a highly capable Hospital Ship stationed off West Africa with sets of IICUs (Isolation Intensive Care Units) and several other capabilities. This plan would provide Ebola treatment facilities both below decks and on deck for a total of over 4000 ICCUs.
- This concept would set the stage for a combined multinational effort to subdue the Ebola Virus outbreak causing widespread sickness and death in several Western African and already threatening the USA and the entire world.
- Operation Compassion would when fully implemented - allow all Ebola stricken patients in the West African Region to be placed in a first class 'state of the art' treatment facility only a few hundred miles offshore from their homes - regardless in which country they reside. It would truly be a hospital without borders. Resident of the Ebola stricken countries would have no need to travel to countries far away to receive effective - potentially life saving medical treatment.
- The U.S.S Hospital Ship Hope is not suited for working with large numbers of Ebola infected patients or those suspected of infection - few isolation units on board if any. The U.S.S. Hope should be reserved for other needs around the world or could be use for convalescence purposes for recovering but Ebola free patients. Plus the size and scope of Operation Compassion requires a larger ship with a extremely high output electric generation and water desalination capability.
- Solution: Redeploy the U.S.S. George Washington Aircraft Carrier for this purpose - decommission it as a combat ship - recommissioned it as the U.S.S Hospital Ship Compassion. Redeploy the Carrier Ship fleet associated with this aircraft carrier to other assignments. Replacement Carriers are in the planning stages and or are entering production.
- The U.S.S George Washington (GW) could be retrofitted with many IICU suites created from prefabricated building units and the use of shipping containers outfitted for this purpose. The ships hanger bays cleared of aircraft are quite large and are serviced by large elevators for moving aircraft to the top deck from the hangers below deck. The elevators will work quite well to place modular sections of a IICU unit to be assembled in the aircraft hangers below decks.. Plus the 4.5 acre flight deck has room for prefabricated ICCUs giving a total capability of housing over 4000 critical Ebola patients at one time when combined with the count is combined with the ICCUS below decks.
- The GW has been under discussion in recent years for retirement as it is in need of a nuclear fuel replacement costing billions. But that fuel level is mostly needed for combat readiness purposes as the fuel usage rate involved in maneuvers and in actual combat usage exceeds the proposed newly slated use. The GW still has enough nuclear fuel to operate in a less than combat mode for several years to come. The GW has the electrical power generation ability of a small city, it produces large quantities of fresh water using desalination, it has full dining facilities for crew and medical staff. The aircraft hanger bays and spacious flight deck surface provide sufficient room for creation of complete sets of IICUs and ancillary structures ready to be hooked to power and water. The GW can provide ready made living quarters for medical, nursing staff, crew and others. Also fully air conditioned IICUs would pre-constructed and placed aboard as modules with cranes or heavy hook helicopters. The flight deck could also be used for helicopter resupply. Other nations could contribute with supplies, medical crew, ship's crew, tender ships and security ships, and air coverage as needed to protect the project from terrorists, etc.
- Costly? Yes and No ... The U.S.S. George Washington cannot be kept combat ready unless there is a 5 billion dollar nuclear refueling. Intense debate has ensued for retiring this ship for cost effective reasons - but political haggling has kept it in active use. No one in Congress wants to be seen as responsible for reducing our Naval Offensive/Defensive capability. This concept would provide a way out of that political logjam while reducing cost for keeping The GW afloat as re-purposed with new end-life in view. The cost for this concept would be partly offset by the reduced cost to the U.S. Navy. The ships crew would be greatly reduced to a fraction of its current crew size (a skeleton crew) especially if augmented with crew members assigned from other participating nations and with contractors as needed. Plus all combat aircraft could be reassigned as replacements for other carriers - capturing and redeploying previous Tax Payer investment. Large scale donations from participating countries - even the oil rich Mid East nations could be solicited to create a fund to refuel the U.S.S. Compassion.
- It is greatly important that a decision to use the U.S.S. George Washington recommissioned as a Hospital Ship be made far in advance of normal decommissioning and mothballing. The full facilities of the GW needs to be preserved as a fully running - intact - functioning ship otherwise converting it to a Hospital Ship after mothballing is simply not feasible.
- Costly as compared to what? Combating Ebola inside the U.S. or inside any other developed nation is exacerbated by having to deal with a potential influx of more people from West Africa seeking first class medical treatment for Ebola by any means necessary or by Government treachery. A high cost for doing nothing to change the situation will be still be incurred and will prove in the long run to be more expensive than having a first class - capable Hospital Ship off the West African Coast. Plus any foreign nationals who show up with Ebola infection in America or another developed country could be transferred to The U.S.S Compassion after stabilization to complete treatment.
- Medical Advantage... Medical Staff would have completely air conditioned IICU suites with isolated air systems to prevent contamination outside the unit. The bulky isolation suits worn by the medical staff could even be air conditioned to reduce fatigue and help assure a uncontaminated situation. The Medical and Nursing staff would have rooms for donning their bulky isolation suits and for taking them off - all done with ample facilities to decontaminate the suits. Plus there would be personal decontamination facilities for all crew members and other personnel. A world wide campaign could be mounted to recruit qualified volunteers and crew members from participating nations to perform necessary medical, nursing and ancillary functions.
- People in the Ebola stricken nations who feel they have a problem would go to a conventional land based clinic and after initial evaluation transferred by helicopter to the U.S.S. Compassion as is deemed necessary. The U.S. and other participating nations could provide helicopter services.
- Additional capabilities of the U.S.S. Compassion Hospital Ship... This huge Aircraft carrier which would be used only for helicopter landing/takeoff would have room on deck for ancillary prefabricated buildings of all nature and would be available for use as the mission expands. These ancillary buildings on the flight deck could be used for installation of large scale conventional electric power generators should the need arise. There is ample room below decks for a modest R&R center for land based Ebola aid workers needed a break at a place with facilities for rest, air conditioning and safety... plus a place for them to get a check up of their own health. Also there is sufficient room with all needed utilities for a first class Ebola virus laboratory to test for presence of the Ebola virus in patients blood and tissue samples. This laboratory could function as a central lab center for Ebola virus confirmation for the entire region.
- Current Land based Ebola Clinics and Hospitals can continuing functioning as they are or convert to Ebola screening clinics and/or convalescence hospitals.
- Americans will support this concept as it does the following: It keeps people with a possible life threatening disease out of the U.S. by greatly reducing the need for anyone to come to America or another developed country for Ebola treatment. It keeps West African Citizens stricken with Ebola in a first class treatment facility near their home countries. It is humane and it is in the spirit of helping others that Americans are so willing to join in with... Prime example the Tsunami aftermath in 2004 - 2005 in Thailand and Indonesia. The outpouring of American charitable contributions was staggering.
- With such a Hospital Ship in place - we can focus on making sure that all traces of Ebola are removed from the United States with a reasonable assurance that Ebola would not return. Legislation creating this project would have provisions for banning U.S. entry visas to residents of the Ebola stricken countries until the Ebola epidemic subsides to a prescribed level.
- Lastly - the public relations disaster - both internally in the U.S. and externally around the world would be turned on its head. The U.S and its citizens would have something very positive to point to and assist in the effort in any way possible. The world wide community could be solicited to join in to focus on a workable solution to treat Ebola patients on a grand scale. This would reduce the incidence of Ebola disease by removing and isolating Ebola infected patients from the community. Reduced contact with Ebola patients in the community will directly reduce the rate of infection by the simple act of removing them from all possible family or neighborhood contact. Suspected patients not yet showing symptoms could be flown to the U.S.S Compassion for observation in facilities on board but isolated from all others Quarantine facilities could be established on tender ships donated by other nations or at port facilities. All this would buy time for vaccine development, testing and roll out. The Whole World has a lot at stake if this Ebola epidemic is not stopped in its tracks starting now... I believe people and nations around the world would see the sense of it. Just think - some huge positive effort for a change - a shining light for America and participating countries - instead of a black eye. This concept if implemented correctly would take away any perception that people who contract Ebola and die from it are just black Africans and that others don't care - it will destroy the charge of racism.
- Ancillary Funding... An International long running fund raising campaign could be instituted with direct contributions put into a publicly viewable - on line transparent account. Items of support... caps, T-shirts, etc. with copyright logos, symbols and insignia could be licensed and sold around the world with a percentage of profits going to the fund - similar to the Olympic paraphernalia.
- Operation Compassion would allow regulations to be put in place to heavily regulate entry of citizens of West African Nations into the U.S. to prevent bringing Ebola to America - while at the same time reversing a negative public relations situation into a positive one by providing greatly expanded and more appropriate health care for Ebola infected people near their home.
Note: The U.S. has attacked enormous problems and mounted large scale solutions that could not be done by one country alone such as the International Space Station. Also many years ago we mounted the Apollo missions to land on the moon .. we did it proving Americans can do almost anything we set our minds to. We even did the impossible - bring back the very seriously crippled Apollo 13 ... what actually seemed beyond an impossible task was done with no loss of life... We as Americans and the rest of the world can do what is necessary with the right focus and motivation. Dabbling around with an Ebola program here - another action there is not going to cut it ... we have to GO BIG...
I’m sorry, but taking one of our few remaining carriers out of service as a national strategic asset to convert her to handling foreign ebola patients is one of the dumbest ideas I have seen or heard anywhere.
Not endorsing the idea of a ship, but if you wanted to do something like this, take the Kitty Hawk, Ranger, Independence or Constellation out of mothballs and refit HER for this questionable task.
Talk about a death ship...
But, do the facilities really exist? There are hospitals, and there are hospital ships. But, in the whole of the USA, there’s only a dozen or so beds in hospitals considered competent to handle Ebola. How difficult would it be to create 4000 SAFE beds on a ship? “SAFE” is used here in the sense that medical volunteers would have a better than 95% chance of not getting infected? (Because otherwise, there won’t be any volunteers).
Um, no.
We already have a class of hospital ships designated for aid missions. Why wouldn’t you deploy one of those?
When the people there practically live in sewers (see pictures of those hovels) this Ebola virus won’t be wiped out there.
Skip the ship and you could do it on any beachead. But you noted America of old. The ring lies the monkey wrench. Things have CHANGED.
This administration, and the American people are not about self sacrifice for the good of others anymore, that takes a Christian society, not a society of self serving hedonists.
Note the focus of your plan was not about saving Africa, it was about saving America. You to have changed.
Hedonism is like heroin or pornography, everyone who partakes believes they can indulge just a little and it will not affect them.
Sin changes things profoundly. If America does not repent and return to God, the old America is gone forever for everyone.
Fugeddaboutit.... Isolate the centers of Ebola and let them burn out. That is the only sane thing to do.
Expose more and more of our people to this disease? What are you going to do about the oceans of contaminated waste at sea?
Please call congress and tell them that we must be deadly serious about containing Ebola by strict quarantine within the United States and from infected nations. This is our right and our duty and it is THEIR duty to protect US.
Capitol switchboard is 202-224-3121 or Google your congressman or senator and get his contact information and call him / her office directly. You can also call or go to their local offices.
I believe decisive response is urgent because you can’t put this Ebola genie back in the bottle once it gets out. It is a fire, it consumes all the fuel it can get and the fuel is people. The only way to stop a fire is to block it from the fuel or cool it with water. A vaccine or medicine to treat Ebola would be the water and we don’t have reliable, enough or any.
Every possible measure must be taken to stop the spread before draconian measures are imposed. What is being done now is sloppy. We are walking a dangerous road. The threat is blossoming by the day if not hour. Almost every hour there is some new Ebola development and none of them are good. This is a serious and potentially deadly event. Unchecked it could destroy or weaken the United States and facilitate our destruction by others. It has that potential for every country and that is why so many are responding with such strict quarantines. These consequences, no matter how small the probabilities, demand a full effort and significant response.
Ebola is being spread here in the United States right now. First Texas, then Ohio then? Terror is an excellent weapon. It disrupts, confuses, paralyzes and destroys a society. Many others and we on FR have speculated that terrorists may spread Ebola. How do you that remember 9/11 feel right now compared to what you felt then? Do you want to gather your loved ones near you to protect them? I do. Even more than I did on September 11, 2001! Isn’t this passive response by this administration accomplishing the very same things a terrorist would want?
When something is being done that makes as little sense as what Obama is doing there has to be some other reason. I leave it to you dear reader to draw your own conclusions as to the reasons.
What is happening now is insane. It makes no sense at all. For example the head of CDC says: “Stopping travel from Africa won’t do any good because you have to get people into Africa to fight Ebola.” “You can’t get Ebola from an infected person on a bus but an infected person should never be on a bus because he can infect others.” “Blocking travel from infected countries would damage their fragile economies.” What about ours? What about our safety? What about resources we have paid for that should be protecting us?
Even the most despotic dictatorship in Africa has acted to protect his nation by strict quarantine and stopping travel from infected countries. Even CDC, the UN and WHO advocate and credit strict quarantine for nipping the spread of Ebola in the bud at the source in places like Senegal and Nigeria where both have had faster and more successful outbreak controls than we have had here. 35 countries have stopped travel of people from infected West African countries. It is so obvious even a child could understand it so why is it OK for people from infected countries to travel here?
I will post this message and keep posting it until someone stops me.
For further reference:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3216461/posts
Not one of you who responded really read the proposal... just normal FR ... pot shots from Keyboard Commandos ...
Most of your understanding of the real situation with Ebola is near zero... Just carp about obama and fight your war with keystrokes
The wiring issues alone would be a total logistical nightmare because Water Tight Integrity must still be maintained. Using an active duty CVN or re-purposing one is a loss we can not afford and we need all our carriers. GW should be refuled on schedule.
There seems to be this line of thinking this is the military's problem. Plumbing on a CVN is not like you think it is either. The waste has to go somewhere.
Above all else this crisis will pass long before any combat ship could be modified for such a undertaking. It would likely be quicker to build a new ship. The old carriers? Nope. Two plus years needed to get one up and going and they are worn out anyway. Again you can build a conventional carrier in about that time frame in a pinch.
And Once Again this should not be a military mission to start with.
The U.K. sending a HOSPITAL SHIP with TROOPS..