H
Harry Hope
Guest
Way back in the mists of time - that is, seven months ago - there was
widespread outrage when it was revealed that outpatients at Walter
Reed Army Medical Center were living in conditions like this:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/17/AR2007021701172.html
Behind the door of Army Spec. Jeremy Duncan's room, part of the wall
is torn and hangs in the air, weighted down with black mold.
When the wounded combat engineer stands in his shower and looks up, he
can see the bathtub on the floor above through a rotted hole.
The entire building, constructed between the world wars, often smells
like greasy carry-out.
Signs of neglect are everywhere: mouse droppings, belly-up
****roaches, stained carpets, cheap mattresses.
Following the shocking report, George W. Bush visited Walter Reed and
said this:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/03/20070330-6.html
"It is not right to have someone volunteer to wear our uniform and not
get the best possible care. I apologize for what they went through,
and we're going to fix the problem."
Well guess what?
He hasn't.
According to Paul Rieckhoff in the Huffington Post:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-rieckhoff/gao-report-walter-reed-p_b_66050.html
This week, we got definitive proof that our nation's wounded veterans
are still waiting for government leaders to deliver much needed
resources.
According to a new report from the Government Accountability Office
(GAO), the response to shoddy outpatient treatment at Walter Reed Army
Medical Center has been woefully inadequate.
This latest report joins the increasing chorus of bipartisan
commissions, independent review groups, and task forces which all
confirm that the DoD and the VA are ill-prepared to meet the needs of
returning servicemembers.
Among its findings, the GAO concluded that there has been little
progress in rectifying staffing shortfalls, facilitating VA/DoD data
sharing, and streamlining disability evaluation systems.
Processing disability payments still takes an average of 177 days.
Furthermore, efforts to improve the care provided to servicemembers
with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
(PTSD) have also been largely unsuccessful: only 6 of the Army's 32
Warrior Transition Units had completed training for all staff. ...
The bottom line: the problems of Walter Reed have not been fixed.
Not even close.
Don't tell me: it doesn't matter because they're "phony soldiers"
anyway - right Rush?
By EarlG
Democratic Underground
http://www.democraticunderground.com/
Harry
widespread outrage when it was revealed that outpatients at Walter
Reed Army Medical Center were living in conditions like this:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/17/AR2007021701172.html
Behind the door of Army Spec. Jeremy Duncan's room, part of the wall
is torn and hangs in the air, weighted down with black mold.
When the wounded combat engineer stands in his shower and looks up, he
can see the bathtub on the floor above through a rotted hole.
The entire building, constructed between the world wars, often smells
like greasy carry-out.
Signs of neglect are everywhere: mouse droppings, belly-up
****roaches, stained carpets, cheap mattresses.
Following the shocking report, George W. Bush visited Walter Reed and
said this:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/03/20070330-6.html
"It is not right to have someone volunteer to wear our uniform and not
get the best possible care. I apologize for what they went through,
and we're going to fix the problem."
Well guess what?
He hasn't.
According to Paul Rieckhoff in the Huffington Post:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-rieckhoff/gao-report-walter-reed-p_b_66050.html
This week, we got definitive proof that our nation's wounded veterans
are still waiting for government leaders to deliver much needed
resources.
According to a new report from the Government Accountability Office
(GAO), the response to shoddy outpatient treatment at Walter Reed Army
Medical Center has been woefully inadequate.
This latest report joins the increasing chorus of bipartisan
commissions, independent review groups, and task forces which all
confirm that the DoD and the VA are ill-prepared to meet the needs of
returning servicemembers.
Among its findings, the GAO concluded that there has been little
progress in rectifying staffing shortfalls, facilitating VA/DoD data
sharing, and streamlining disability evaluation systems.
Processing disability payments still takes an average of 177 days.
Furthermore, efforts to improve the care provided to servicemembers
with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
(PTSD) have also been largely unsuccessful: only 6 of the Army's 32
Warrior Transition Units had completed training for all staff. ...
The bottom line: the problems of Walter Reed have not been fixed.
Not even close.
Don't tell me: it doesn't matter because they're "phony soldiers"
anyway - right Rush?
By EarlG
Democratic Underground
http://www.democraticunderground.com/
Harry