Saint Lucia: LAMAT, Building Lasting Partnerships Through Medical Collaboration

Dr. Richard Burt, a Saint Lucian general surgeon at St. Jude Hospital, watches U.S. Air Force Colonel William Knoll, 349th Medical Squadron commander and vascular surgeon, and Technical Sergeant Michael Jones, 349th Medical Squadron surgical technician, perform an arteriovenous fistula procedure on a patient during the Lesser Antilles Medical Assistance Team (LAMAT) mission at St. Jude Hospital in Vieux Fort, Saint Lucia, March 4, 2025. U.S. medical professionals and their partner nation counterparts launched the latest iteration of the U.S. Air Forces Southern-led LAMAT mission in Saint Lucia, February 4, 2025. The mission then shifts to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Guyana. (Photo: Andrea Jenkins/ U.S. Air Force)

U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Puneet Pande (R), and Technical Sergeant Jasmine Abalos (L), 349th Medical Squadron, treat a patient for a tooth filling during LAMAT mission at the Anse La Raye Health & Wellness Centre, Saint Lucia, February 28, 2025. The LAMAT mission gives U.S. and host nation medical professionals a unique opportunity to work together, promoting global health, readiness, and ultimately benefiting both military personnel and the citizens of the host nation. (Photo: U.S. Air Force Technical Sergeant Ryan Green)

U.S. Air Force Technical Sergeant Michael Jones, surgical technician 349th Medical Squadron, organizes surgical tools for an inguinal hernia repair procedure during the LAMAT mission at Vieux Fort, Saint Lucia, February 27, 2025. (Photo: U.S. Air Force Technical Sergeant Ryan Green)

U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Sean Martin, general surgeon with the 349th Medical Squadron, partners with host nation medical practitioners to perform a laparoscopic cholecystectomy, a procedure to remove a diseased gallbladder, during the LAMAT mission at Owen King European Union Hospital at Castries, Saint Lucia, February 26, 2025. (Photo: U.S. Air Force Technical Sergeant Ryan Green)

U.S. Air Force Captain Ann Villaruz, 349th Medical Squadron, organizes medical supplies being provided to Owen King European Union Hospital during the LAMAT 2025 mission at Castries, Saint Lucia, February 25, 2025. (Photo: U.S. Air Force Technical Sergeant Ryan Green)

The LAMAT 2025 medical team stand outside Owen King European Union Hospital for a group photo at Castries, Saint Lucia, February 26, 2025. LAMAT stands as a symbol of partnership through medical readiness, offering real-world benefits to achieve positive outcomes through collaboration with partner nations. (Photo: U.S. Air Force Technical Sergeant Ryan Green)