Consequences
Less than a week after the article, new Defense Secretary Robert Gates visited Walter Reed and said those responsible would be "held accountable":
- "I endorse the decision by Secretary of the Army Fran Harvey to relieve the Commander, Major General George W. Weightman of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. The care and welfare of our wounded men and women in uniform demand the highest standard of excellence and commitment that we can muster as a government. When this standard is not met, I will insist on swift and direct corrective action and, where appropriate, accountability up the chain of command."
The Army announced it had relieved of command Maj. Gen. Weightman, a physician who had headed the hospital for only six months. In a brief announcement, the Army said service leaders had "lost trust and confidence" in Weightman's leadership abilities "to address needed solutions for soldier outpatient care." It said the decision to fire him was made by Secretary of the Army Francis J. Harvey.
Harvey then named Army Surgeon General and former Walter Reed commander Kevin Kiley as interim commander, but Harvey himself was forced to resign by Gates on March 2. Gates felt Harvey wasn't getting the Army to move fast enough on making necessary changes. Maj. Gen. Eric Schoomaker was named the new commander of Walter Reed on March 2. Kiley himself retired on March 12, 2007 after acting Army Secretary Pete Geren asked for Kiley's resignation.
An internal WRAMC memorandum from September 2006 warned that the personnel shortage caused by an outsourcing of public works services put WRAMC in danger of "mission failure".
University of Miami President and former Clinton cabinet Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala, along with former Republican Senator Bob Dole, were appointed by President George W. Bush to lead the President's Commission on Care for America's Returning Wounded Warriors, an investigative panel regarding the various allegations. The remaining Commission members included two veterans wounded in Operation Iraqi Freedom, the wife of an Army Staff Sergeant severely burned in Iraq, the Chairman and CEO of a non-for-profit organization that constructs "comfort homes" for families of hospitalized military servicemembers, two leaders in the health care industry, and an expert on veterans affairs and military health care. This commission released their final report on July 26, 2007 and issued their findings in testimony to the U.S. Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs on September 26, 2007.
The scandal at Walter Reed led to an extensive analysis of the veteran's healthcare system, as well, managed by the United States Department of Veterans' Affairs. Amidst accusations of mismanagement and excessive bureaucracy, the VA announced an extensive review of all of their medical facilities to ensure healthcare standards are being met.
Read more about this topic: Walter Reed Army Medical Center Neglect Scandal
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