Last month I wrote about news coming about squalid conditions and ill-treatment of wounded soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. [ http://hellbroadcast.blogspot.com/2007/03/bush-administration-is-beginning-to.html ] In that post I mentioned that VA Secretary Jim Nicholson had ordered full report of conditions from all 1,400 VA health clinics and hospitals.
The reports are now in, and apparently the problem of squalid conditions is not exclusive to Walter Reed, according to the reports.
Associated Press detailed the problems found at many other locations, stating that the report found that 90 percent of the 1,100 problems cited were routine wear and tear, such as worn-out carpets, peeling paint, mice sightings, and dead bugs.
The other 10 percent of problems were serious in nature.
Here's a quick run-down of some of the other problems:
<*>Mold spreading in patient case areas, serious enough to require immediate action in eight cases;
<*>Roof leaks thought a facility in White City, Oregon, requiring them to "continuously repair via leaks upon occurrence, clean up any mold presence if any exists, spray or remove ceiling tiles";
<*>Also at White City, large colonies of bats residing outside the facility, occasionally finding their way into the building;
<*>Secondhand smoke from an outside smoking shelter sometimes seeped into the building in Oklahoma City;
<*>Deteriorating walls and hallways in patient areas in Little Rock, Arkansas;
<*>Numerous "environmental conditions" as well as roof leaks and mold in New York's Hudson Valley, with the private landlord repeatedly refusing to fix problems;
<*>Roof leaks and mold in North Chicago, Illinois;
<*>Roof leaks and mold in Indianapolis, Indiana;
<*>Roof leaks and mold in Puget Sound, Washington;
<*>Roof leaks and mold in Portland, Oregon;
<*>Roof leaks and mold in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
In some cases the staff at the affected facilities are either constantly patching up the problems, or moving to new facilities.
Veteran's associations state that these problems are to be corrected immediately and should not be shelved due to insufficient funding, or lack of interest from the national media.
The disclosures from Walter Reed lead to three high-level Pentagon officials stepping down.
A separate review of the Veteran's Affairs system is underway to determine the previously stated problems of dealing with disability claims, in an attempt to cut through the bureaucratic delays, confusing paper work and the long appeals process.
This whole thing seems to be merely a problem arising from too much bureaucracy in the system. It's doubtful that this issue will solve itself quickly, even as the number of injured soldiers returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan is rising and will continue to rise as the surge on Baghdad gains momentum.
Change in the system is slow. In the end, it's America's soldiers who will draw the short stick, yet again, if the problems aren't fixed soon, or if this issue gets stuck in the bureaucratic wishy-washy nature of government. A fraction of the money the United States spends daily fighting wars in far off lands could easily grease the machine and work miracles back in the States. It's ridiculous that so much money is being spent sending the soldiers into harms way, yet once they return from a tour in battle, they're practically on their own.
I refer you once again to a soldier inside Walter Reed: http://walterreed.blogspot.com
Sources:
AP: Mold, Leaky Roofs Beset VA Clinics - Yahoo! News
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070321/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/veterans_care
Today, Tuesday 20th March marks the 4th Anniversary of the Iraq War. All over the world, people have been celebrating the anniversary, albeit with very little festive mood. Surprisingly enough, there weren't any balloons, confetti or even cake... (I apologize for the sarcastic tone...)
