by Celeste Faris

Created on: March 06, 2007   Last Updated: September 09, 2008

The only portion of America that thinks the Walter Reed VA Hospital scandal is news are those who've had no contact with the military. Ever.

Among veterans, their wives and children, this deplorable situation has existed for at least 50 years. I know. When I was 6, I was rushed to a military hospital, gushing blood from my hand. A 6-8 hour wait, with no care, no triage, no iodine or bandages, ensued. I am now 56 years old and have had contact with the VA all these years. Nothing has changed.

If lucky, patients are treated with mere indifference. Or maybe a slight hint of hostility from a minimum-wage worker with limited understanding of their job. Or the simple civilities required of human intercourse. If lucky, within a two-year period, they will see the same doctor twice - although not consecutively. If the gods are shining on them, there will be a wheelchair available. If they are seen within 6 hours, they count themselves lucky. Good karma is the workers being able to find your patient file. Cheers go up when the snack machine has anything available - or works. Getting a dermatologist when a cardiologist is called for is better than nothing.

But the reality is much uglier. I've seen rats running through the temporary storage facility, um, er, waiting room. Those alone and too weak to speak up are left to vegetate. At the end of the day, the clerks simply leave and the helpless are abandoned there. The examining rooms are designed similiar to the shops of Vietnamese whores; as the staff leaves one room, they are immediately shunted into another. Hand-washing - huh? Checking file name against the armband name - huh? Need a hip-replacement? Take a number, we'll get back to you in 2,3,4 years. Now where did that lab report go? You need a CAT scan, but we don't have one, so sorry. The government doesn't authorize that drug. Can you afford $500 a month?
Oops, even though your service to Uncle Sam created the condition, 18 committees have decided we can't treat it. Go somewhere else.

And that is the implied statement of all these instances. Go Somewhere Else. "We know what we promised care when you joined, but we didn't say it had to be adequate. Or humane. Or civilized." Gotcha.

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