Isn't this why We have A VA Hospital System

[xgrunt]

Officials at Walter Reed Army Medical Center are referring some outpatients to nearby hotels because casualties from operations in Afghanistan and Iraq have overloaded the hospital's convalescence facility.
"We have an informal agreement with any number of hotels in the area. If we come to this point, they will take [patients] for us," said Walter Reed spokesman Jim Stueve. "They're very supportive and cooperative when we need that assistance."
Mr. Stueve could not specify how many soldiers are in hotels, but said Walter Reed is referring about 20 patients or their relatives to hotels each day. Hotels in Silver Spring, just across the D.C. line, offer discounted rates for outpatients and their families, and the military pays the bill.
However, the hotel arrangement has not compromised the quality of care for incoming wounded, Mr. Stueve said.
"The staff is highly motivated to get these troops mended and on their way," he said.
A hospital spokeswoman said: "We haven't turned away any injured soldiers. We are treating all of them."
The Army hospital and its convalescence facility, Mologne House, are at maximum occupancy capacity, with 96 percent of their outpatient beds filled with war wounded.
Walter Reed has been at maximum capacity since Operation Enduring Freedom began in Afghanistan in 2001, Mr. Stueve said, adding that the hospital's 3,900 staffers have "put in a substantial amount of overtime."
Before Enduring Freedom, the hospital's occupancy rate had held steady at 83 percent for five years.
"We haven't been average here for well over a year. We've been really busy. They've been rolling in here real regular," Mr. Stueve said.
The Mologne House is a 280-bed facility for outpatients who need continued care or rehabilitation, as well as their families.
"Anybody who comes here and wants to stay there can't," said a hospital spokeswoman.
The hospital has 40 of 250 beds available for inpatients, but must continually open beds for new arrivals from Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany or the U.S. Naval Hospital in Rota, Spain.
"We have flights coming in almost every night from Landstuhl, so you don't book that sucker up solid so when you have your No. 1 priority come in, you say, 'You can't stay here,' " Mr. Stueve said.
Walter Reed has treated about 750 patients from Operation Iraqi Freedom since the war began, 185 of whom have been battle casualties. Of the 185 battle casualties, 135 have been treated as inpatients and 50 as outpatients. The total number of battle casualty patients discharged is 111, including one death, leaving 24 currently at the medical center as inpatients.
One of the hospital's best known patients ? Army Pfc. Jessica Lynch ? left Walter Reed last month to return to her family's home in West Virginia.
A current inpatient is still in critical condition. Two others remain in critical but stable condition. Walter Reed physicians describe the conditions of other inpatients as ranging from fair to good. The patients have broken bones, orthopedic injuries, gunshot wounds and other minor injuries.
The hospital received seven battle casualties this week. Four are in serious but stable condition, one is in fair condition, and one is in satisfactory condition. The seventh received treatment as an outpatient.
President Bush declared an end to major combat in Iraq on May 1. But U.S. troops there continue to come under attack almost daily by resistance fighters, especially in cities north and west of Baghdad, where Sunni Muslims were the strongest supporters of ousted dictator Saddam Hussein.

[Gimpy]

You're absolutely right my friend! You can bet your sweet ass that Anthony Principi (secretary of the VA) has made it CLEAR to the Defense Department that the VA will NOT be able to handle any of these soldiers because of the understaffing situation at ALL VA hospitals becauseof that $1.8 billion shortfall in the latest budget the republicans in congress just approved. So we spend the good ol Joe-sixpacks tax dollars to feed and house these soldiers at private hotels ans restaurants---sounds like a plan to me!

Evil, evil bunch of assholes up there in D.C. now my friend. I'm afraid we haven't seen ANYTHING yet! Just wait--it'll get worse.

[Arrow]

It surely is a screwed up system and the sad part is we all know that their health care will not bea givenonce they leave the military.They will still have tons of paper work and jumping through the hoopsbefore they see docs in the VA system. In my humble opinion every hospital military and VA should be as good as Walter Reed. That is just one of my day dreams. Another one is having all Congressional Repsdo rotating shifts at Walter Reedemptying bed pans, changing sheets, greeting and making arrangements for the family members that come to be close to their loved ones. I spent time there in sixtyeight with the kids' daddy and it changed my life forever.

[blues clues]

Right now the whole country is standing with all the troops this is right and good, All the assholes in dc are making speechs on how brave and true our troops are. BUT JUST WAIT UNTILL THEY COME HOME ALL BROKEN UP AND SHOT UP!!!then these same soldiers who fought and bleed for this country will fine out JUST how much these ASSHOLES in DC really care for them by cutting the VA budget, just so good old DUBBYS BUDS can get more in tax cuts after all aren't they more important than any used up soldier, GOD when is this country going to wake up?
Each and everyone of you guy's that have been wounded or hurt while in the service of your country should be as outraged as me, But it looks like there are very few of us even give a shit about what happens.

razz