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Jonathan Kissane and Wife Volunteer to Help Tsunami Victims

To serve on USNS Mercy, anchored off Banda Aceh

McLean Virginia, February 17, 2005—Early this month, one of our employees, Jon Kissane, and his wife, Kathi, made a simple phone call to Project HOPE officials to inquire about serving as volunteers aboard the USNS Mercy, which is providing emergency medical services to victims of the December 26 tsunami. It is currently anchored off Banda Aceh, Indonesia, one of the hardest hit areas.

Just 17 days later, on February 22, Jon and Kathi flew from Washington Dulles International Airport to Singapore and transported to the USNS Mercy, where they will work for the next 30 days. Jon, a former Director of Logistics for the Surgeon General of the U.S. Army and an LMI employee since August 2004, will serve as the ship’s operations officer. He anticipates that his primary responsibilities will be coordinating the missions and daily support for more than 90 doctors and nurses, both aboard the ship and ashore. Kathi, a registered nurse, will be providing a full range of patient care services as part of a medical team.

Jon is a member of our Health Systems Management group and currently assigned to the Fort Detrick, MD, office, where he is helping to upgrade the Department of Defense medical logistics standard system. He has a BS in biology from Norwich University and an MBA from Georgia State University. While serving as a Project Hope volunteer, Jon will remain a full-time employee, receiving his full salary and benefits. Kathi, a diabetes clinician at Frederick Memorial Hospital, Frederick, MD, is also a certified disaster nurse with the American Red Cross. She was among the many volunteers that responded to the 2003 and 2004 hurricanes in Florida.