The United States demonstrates its partnership with Trinidad and Tobago not only in words, but in action.
U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Philip Kern made the remark on July 10 during a walk-through with Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and Minister of Health Dr. Lackram Bodoe at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mt. Hope. The event marked the conclusion of a series of joint dental and veterinary training exercises held by the embassy’s military liaison office through U.S. Southern Command’s (SOUTHCOM) Humanitarian Civic Assistance Program in Trinidad and Tobago July 6-10, 2026.
Executed in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, the US$38,000 initiative reflects a shared commitment to strengthening public health infrastructure, enhancing veterinary emergency preparedness, and building lasting institutional capacity through professional knowledge exchange.
The dental training exercise directly enhanced local clinical capacity through hands-on collaboration between U.S. military dental professionals and Ministry of Health personnel. Over the course of the week, the joint teams provided critical
services, including dental examinations, extractions, and oral health education to approximately 75 patients.
Teams provided treatments at five public health facilities – Mayaro, Siparia, Couva, Diego Martin and the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex to maximize community reach.
Simultaneously, the veterinary training exercise focused on building national capabilities through technical training, emergency preparedness, and community outreach. The activities included an incident command workshop on emergency preparedness and biosecurity for veterinary professionals; a visit to the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine to exchange best practices; a farm-level engagement exercise involving local farmers, veterinarians, and community stakeholders to strengthen agricultural resilience, and a community rabies awareness and vaccination campaign at the BPTT Mayaro Resource Center, targeting approximately 500 at-risk hunting dogs.
In the words of Chargé d’Affaires Kern, “This is what the partnership between the United States and Trinidad and Tobago looks like at its best: not just words, but action. The benefits are real and immediate for communities across Trinidad and Tobago. And the most enduring impact of this week’s work is something less visible, the exchange of expertise, the forging of professional relationships, and the strengthening of local systems and skills that will continue to serve the people of Trinidad and Tobago long after our teams have departed.”
