Official: Walter Reed not completely at fault

[unhappycamper]

Official: Walter Reed not completely at fault
By Kimberly Hefling - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Sep 13, 2007 21:41:06 EDT

WASHINGTON — The military’s medical community got a black eye that “we didn’t completely deserve” about conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the top Pentagon health official said Thursday at a ribbon cutting for a new amputee center.

The defense of conditions at Walter Reed by Dr. S. Ward Casscells, assistant secretary of defense for health, was a departure from the message by many military leaders who have taken responsibility for the problems.

In February, the hospital was besieged by news reports of poor outpatient care at Walter Reed, which is the flagship hospital of the Army’s system of medical facilities.

The new, state-of-the art, $10 million rehabilitation center for amputees at Walter Reed is a source of pride for the hospital. Injured soldiers who have lost a limb will be able to relearn tasks at the 31,000 square-foot facility such as shooting a weapon or driving a car.

Parachutists from the Army’s 101st Airborne Division parachuted to the lawn for the ceremony, which was attended by about 2,000 people — including many amputees in wheelchairs.

The comment by Casscells came after he thanked Maj. Gen. Eric Schoomaker, the commander of Walter Reed, for his tremendous effort to improve the situation “to make it first class in every way.”


Rest of article at: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2007/09/ap_walter_reed_070913/

[izzie]

1. This days' show must have been a Bush plan!

Parachutists from the Army’s 101st Airborne Division parachuted to the lawn for the ceremony, which was attended by about 2,000 people — including many amputees in wheelchairs. I almost got ill reading this.