News From the Cause
Bethesda Medical Prepares for Walter Reed Arrivals (DOD NEWS)
June 28, 2011
BETHESDA, Md., June 27, 2011 – Just two months remain before about 150 inpatients at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., many of them wounded warriors, make the five-mile move here to the National Naval Medical Center.
The relocation will mark a historic moment in both iconic institutions’ histories and one of the final milestones before they officially merge to become the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
Navy Capt. David A. Bitonti, chief of staff for integration and transition at the Bethesda facility, has been part of a team preparing for that merger since Congress directed it as part of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure plan.
The well-choreographed plan that has been driving the consolidation is now entering its home stretch. Construction projects that dominated the Bethesda campus for the past six years are completed. Renovation efforts are wrapping up, and staff orientations are under way to ensure the newly arriving staff members are able to provide uninterrupted patient care through the merger.
The outpatient clinics and staffs will be the first to move, with inpatients to follow in a procession of ambulances expected to make its way around Washington’s Capital Beltway in late August, Bitonti said.
As the calendar moves steadily toward the Sept. 15 deadline for the consolidation to be completed, Bitoni said he’s excited by the possibilities that will come from bringing the two flagship medical centers together as one organization.
“When you look at the two powerhouses that Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the National Naval Medical Center are, and you think about combining them together into a singular facility, that speaks to itself about the good things to come for our patients and beneficiaries,” he said. “I think the level and the quality of health care we provide will rival any institution in the country, and maybe the world.”
The new Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, which the staff here refers to simply as “Walter Reed Bethesda,” promises to take military medicine to a whole new level as it provides a central hub for specialized care, Bitonti said.
About 60 percent of the patients currently receiving specialized or “tertiary” care at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, which is slated to close under BRAC, will be treated at the Walter Reed Bethesda facility. This is expected to include the lion’s share of the most severely wounded warriors, including all amputees and patients suffering traumatic brain injuries and other psychological problems.Click here to view more
