Walter Reed Army Medical Center neglect scandal

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The Walter Reed Army Medical Center neglect scandal resulted from a series of allegations of unsatisfactory conditions and management at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) in Washington, D.C. culminating in two articles published by The Washington Post in February 2007. Cases of outpatient neglect, which are currently under investigation, were reported as early as 2004, but generated substantial public and media attention, which in turn prompted a number of congressional and executive actions, only with release of the Post exposé.

1 Initial exposure
2 Building 18
3 Consequences
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Initial exposure

The Washington Post published a series of articles beginning February 18, 2007, outlining cases of neglect at Walter Reed reported by wounded soldiers and their family members.^[1] Although the article focused primarily on Building 18, a former hotel building just outside the post's main gates, authors Dana Priest and Anne Hull also included complaints about "disengaged clerks, unqualified platoon sergeants and overworked managers" that make navigating the already complicated bureaucracy to obtain medical care at WRAMC even more daunting. Although Army officials claimed to be surprised at these conditions, a Salon.com series beginning in January 2005 had previously exposed them. ^[2] In 2004 and 2005, articles appeared in the Post and in Salon interviewing First Lt. Julian Goodrum about his court martial for seeking medical care elsewhere due to poor conditions at WRAMC. ^[3]^[4]

[edit] Building 18

WRAMC's Building 18 is described in the article as rodent- and cockroach-infested, with stained carpets, cheap mattresses, and black mold, with no heat and water reported by some soldiers at the facility. The unmonitored entrance created security problems, including reports of drug dealers in front of the facility. Injured soldiers stated they are forced to "pull guard duty" to obtain a level of security. In an attempt to alleviate the toll that Building 18's condition is taking on the wounded soldiers, a staff team headed by a clinical social worker at WRAMC obtained a grant of $30,000 from the Commander's Initiative Account for improvements; however, "a Psychiatry Department functionary held up the rest of the money because she feared that buying a lot of recreational equipment close to Christmas would trigger an audit." By January the funds were no longer available.

Renovation of Building 18 had been anticipated in connection with the enhanced use lease of Building 40, but since the post was slated for closure under BRAC in 2005, the anticipated in-kind services by the Building 40 developer did not materialize.

Although the Post's authors are quick to point out that "not all the quarters are as bleak as" Building 18, "the despair of Building 18 symbolizes a larger problem in Walter Reed's treatment of the wounded. The typical soldier is required to file 22 documents with eight different commands – most of them off-post – to enter and exit the medical processing world, according to government investigators. Sixteen different information systems are used to process the forms, but few of them can communicate with one another. The Army's three personnel databases cannot read each other's files and can't interact with the separate pay system or the medical recordkeeping databases." ^[5] This complicated system has required some soldiers to prove they were in the Iraq War or the War in Afghanistan in order to obtain medical treatment and benefits because Walter Reed employees are unable to locate their records.

[edit] Consequences

Maj. Gen. George W. Weightman, commander of Walter Reed, relieved of duty March 1.

Less than a week after the article, new Defense Secretary Robert Gates visited Walter Reed and said those responsible would be "held accountable[...]"

"I endorse the decision by Secretary of the Army Fran Harvey to relieve the Commander, Major General George W. Weightman of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. The care and welfare of our wounded men and women in uniform demand the highest standard of excellence and commitment that we can muster as a government. When this standard is not met, I will insist on swift and direct corrective action and, where appropriate, accountability up the chain of command."^[6]

Francis J. Harvey, Secretary of the Army, resigned March 2.

The Army announced it had relieved Maj. Gen. Weightman of command. He is a physician who had headed the hospital for only six months. In a brief announcement, the Army said service leaders had "lost trust and confidence" in Weightman's leadership abilities "to address needed solutions for soldier outpatient care." It said the decision to fire him was made by Secretary of the Army Francis J. Harvey.^[7]

Lt. Gen. Kevin C. Kiley, Army Surgeon General and ex-commander of Walter Reed, retired March 12.

Harvey then named Army Surgeon General and former Walter Reed commander Kevin Kiley as interim commander, but Harvey himself was forced to resign by Gates on March 2. Gates felt Harvey wasn't getting the Army to move fast enough on making necessary changes. Maj. Gen. Eric Schoomaker was named the new commander of Walter Reed on March 2. Kiley himself retired on March 12, 2007 after acting Army Secretary Pete Geren asked for Kiley's resignation.^[8]

An internal WRAMC memorandum from September 2006 warned that the personnel shortage caused by an outsourcing of public works services put WRAMC in danger of "mission failure".^[9]

University of Miami President and former Clinton cabinet Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala, along with former Republican Senator Bob Dole, have been appointed by President George W. Bush to lead an investigative panel regarding the various allegations. ^[10]

The scandal at Walter Reed led to an extensive analysis of the soldiers' healthcare system managed by the United States Department of Veterans' Affairs. Amidst accusations of mismanagement and excessive bureaucracy ^[11]^[12], the VA announced an extensive review of all of their medical facilities to ensure healthcare standards are being met.^[13]