Legal Commentary

Military Health Care Still in Crisis Mode

By TChris

This editorial comments upon a hearing held Tuesday before a subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee that examined the Army Medical Action Plan.

That’s the plan to prevent the kind of systematic neglect and mistreatment exposed by The Washington Post last year at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

Despite promises of reform and statements of concern about wounded soldiers, this is what's happening: [more ...]

At Fort Hood, Tex., last month, staff members found 1,362 patients in a unit authorized for 649 — and more than 350 on a waiting list. Of the total, 311 were identified as being at high risk of drug overdose, suicide or other dangerous behavior. There were 38 nurse case managers when there should have been 74. Some soldiers have had to languish two months to a year before the Army decided what to do with them, far longer than the goal the Army set last year.

Why hasn't the Army gotten its act together?

Among other things, the Army failed to anticipate a flood of wounded soldiers.

Remarkable. Didn't the Army notice that it's fighting two wars?

Full post as published by TalkLeft on July 25, 2008 (boomark / email).