The following blog appeared in the Huffington Post by Hal Donahue on May 20, 2008.   

Last week, this Democratic led Congress took action to rescue modern military healthcare. According to the Washington Post, Rep. Ike Skelton (D-Mo.), Chairman of the House Committee of Armed Services, in a bipartisan committee move inserted language in the 2009 defense authorization bill that would halt construction of replacement hospitals for Walter Reed Army Medical Center until the Department of Defense demonstrates that it can deliver world-class health services. Congressman Jack Murtha said: "Our service members and their families have been promised a world class medical facility. This language will ensure that we deliver on that promise." There it is -- promises to be kept. Our task is to help Congress to keep that language in the legislation.I am an outpatient at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. I wrote several blogs addressing both my inpatient and outpatient experiences. Walter Reed personnel walk on water without wetting the soles of their shoes. Why? Besides their overall medical excellence, Walter Reed medical personnel continue to produce the only clear success story of the Iraq War. They reduced the number of our wounded who died from 25% to 15%. A HUGE accomplishment and the first reduction in casualty deaths in over 50 years. Until the wonder workers at Walter Reed sprang into action, the percentage of our wounded who died remained essentially unchanged from WWII and Korean War times. We are in danger of losing all they gained.Brigadier General Michael Dunn commanded the Walter Reed Health Care System from 1999 to 2002. In testimony requested by the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee in January 2007, he described in depth the impact of BRAC on Walter Reed two months before its problems came to national attention. He now says "The 2005 base closure decision and related serious errors have become a threat to Walter Reed as our dominant teaching medical center, just when it is needed most. I admire Mr Murtha's and Mr Skelton's vigilance to make every dollar count, no matter where Walter Reed begins its second century. Generations to come will need a strong Walter Reed, a name that means clinical excellence." This is the type of forward thinking that matters. General Dunn doesn't oppose the closure of Walter Reed; he does oppose losing or compromising Walter Reed's hard-earned clinical and educational excellence.We are not discussing "gotcha" moments here. Congressional staff see a real bipartisan concern that the troops receive a world class medical facility not a botched, hurried and mismanaged project. Areas such as cancer treatment and research units are seeing their floor space reduced by nearly half in an apparently futile effort to control construction expenses. Consider that the cost of the Bethesda project has increased almost 500% since May 2005, from $201M to an estimate of $940 million in February 2008. Even with this increase, all the functions currently approved are not reflected in this funding estimate and the cost overrun will almost certainly exceed one BILLION dollars. Further, no completed or even partial design for the new Walter Reed exists and something as simple as parking appears headed for disaster. They appear to be providing a net increase of 1,800 parking spaces while the total increase in workforce and patient population will be over 4,000 per day, leaving a potential shortfall of over 2,200 parking spaces. A bit of oversight is in order.Amy Gardner, Washington Post staff writer, says that Congressman Murtha's concerns led to the change in the bill, and that ensuring proper medical care is the purpose of the provision. Because the focus of the legislative language is improved medical care for our troops and their families, this language has bipartisan support. According to his office, Congressman Murtha said: "I'd like to thank Chairmen Skelton for his unrelenting leadership and support of military medicine. His diligent efforts resulted in this bipartisan language."The focus of their effort is transparency and accountability; traits lacking now. Everyone, liberal, conservative, military or nonmilitary should call their congressional representative and urge them to retain Chairman Skelton's committee language requiring true accountability and transparency in the Walter Reed related hospitals construction. Finally Congress is speaking out for the troops in meaningful ways. Tell them so now.