FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, March 5, 2007

Isakson Visits Walter Reed Army Medical Center
‘I Am Very Pleased With the Swift and Decisive Action of Secretary Gates’

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) today visited Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington to see firsthand the conditions of the facilities where injured U.S. soldiers recuperate after receiving medical treatments. Isakson is a member of the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs.

Isakson visited Walter Reed in the wake of a series of articles in the Washington Post on the bureaucratic delays and substandard conditions for long-term patients at Walter Reed. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has fired both the Secretary of the Army and the Commanding General at Walter Reed as a result of the news stories.

Specifically, Building 18 at Walter Reed was said to contain mold, rot and mice. Isakson toured Building 18 and saw the improvements that are being made while soldiers are being housed at other facilities.  Isakson also toured other buildings at Walter Reed that house soldiers and their family members and he found them to be clean, well-run facilities.

“After press reports came out regarding the condition of Building 18 at Walter Reed, I requested and received a tour of all the outpatient facilities at the hospital. Building 18 is in need of repair and attention, but all of the other facilities were state-of-the-art and in excellent condition,” Isakson said. “I am very pleased with the swift and decisive action of Secretary Gates, and I am confident the Army will give Building 18 the attention it deserves.”                                                                      

President Bush last week ordered a comprehensive review of conditions at the nation's network of military and veteran hospitals and plans to name a bipartisan commission to assess whether the problems at Walter Reed exist at other facilities.

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee's national security subcommittee as well as the defense subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee held a hearing on conditions at Walter Reed today. The Senate Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing on Tuesday, March 6, on care, living conditions and administration of outpatients at Walter Reed.

###