Panel: Plans for new Walter Reed fall short

[unhappycamper]

The Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, scheduled to open in 2011, is shown in an artist's rendering.


Panel: Plans for new Walter Reed fall short
By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Nov 30, 2009 5:41:37 EST

As construction proceeds briskly on the $2.4 billion “world-class” hospital Congress approved to replace Washington, D.C.’s Walter Reed Army Medical Center, a watchdog panel’s review of the project cites serious shortcomings in the planned facilities.

The new 354-bed Walter Reed National Medical Center is slated to open in September 2011, several months ahead of schedule, at the campus of the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. Under base realignment and closure policy, the old hospital will be shuttered once the new medical center is in operation.

In September 2008, just a couple of months after construction began, Congress asked the Defense Health Board to conduct a review of the design plans for the new joint medical center. The board, an independent advisory group to the Pentagon, formed the BRAC Health Systems Advisory Subcommittee for that purpose. The subcommittee submitted its report on July 2.

The report found several problems that demonstrate design plans fall far short of Congress’ mandate to build a “world-class” medical center, including:

• Not enough operating rooms.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/11/army_walter_reed_113009w/