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Walter Reed Closure Series This Week on ME and ATC
< < Back toWalter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC has permanently closed after providing care for the nation's war wounded for more than a century. A government commission charged with closing military bases voted to close Walter Reed rather than to fund renovations.
As operations move to new facilities at the National Naval Medical Center in Maryland and to Fort Belvoir in Virginia, NPR looks at Walter Reed's history, the medical treatment of U.S. troops, and the financial and logistical outcomes of closing the hospital.
The six-part series continues through Friday, September 2.
Upcoming Stories:
Walter Reed Closure Costs
All Things Considered;; Wednesday, August 31
NPR Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman reports on the complicated math involved in closing the legendary Walter Reed Army Medical Center. The shutdown was designed to save the military billions of dollars, but the cost of closing the center is estimated to be almost $2 billion more than forecast. As Bowman reports, it could take years before the military will incur savings from the closure.
Walter Reed's Role In Infectious Disease Research
All Things Considered; Thursday, September 1
NPR science and health correspondent Richard Knox looks at the legacy of Walter Reed Army Medical Center in medical research. Though it was best known for treating presidents, the institution also had a leading role in developing vaccines. When the center was founded at the turn of the 20th century, epidemics regularly killed more soldiers than combat action. To this day, Walter Reed has remained at the forefront of developing new treatments and vaccines, and is currently engaged in a race to find a malaria vaccine.
Quality of Care At New Facilities
All Things Considered; Friday, September 2
NPR correspondent Joseph Shapiro takes a look at what kind of care troops can expect at the new facilities being created as the Walter Reed Army Medical Center closes. Many patients at Walter Reed are being relocated to a new hospital on the grounds of the Navy's facility just miles away in Maryland. Though they may be geographically close, it's not easy to merge two institutions with their own long and separate cultures and history.