A Washington Post expose found squalid conditions in a building that houses outpatients at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.A Washington Post expose found squalid squal·id adj. 1. Dirty and wretched, as from poverty or lack of care. See Synonyms at dirty. 2. Morally repulsive; sordid: "the squalid atmosphere of intrigue, betrayal, and counterbetrayal" conditions in a building that houses outpatients at Walter Reed Army Medical Center Walter Reed Army Medical Center, major hospital complex in Washington, D. C., and Forest Glen, Md.; est. 1923 and named for U.S. army surgeon Walter Reed. It is composed of seven units including a general hospital and a research institute. There are several thousand beds. . Embarrassed Army officials dispatched construction crews to remove mold, patch ceiling holes, and repair elevators. The Pentagon then resorted to the first refuge of derelict derelict n. something or someone who is abandoned, such as a ship left to drift at sea or a homeless person ignored by family and society. (See: abandon, dereliction) DERELICT, common law. leaders: appointing an independent panel to investigate. The conclusion it can be expected to reach is that Army leadership has failed its wounded warriors by not vigorously overseeing their care. Walter Reed's medical staff is talented and dedicated, but its dysfunctional dys·func·tion also dis·func·tion n. Abnormal or impaired functioning, especially of a bodily system or social group. dys·func bureaucracy is plagued by lost files, excessive paperwork, and long delays in determinations on service discharges and disability status. Army secretary Francis Harvey says he is surprised and disappointed by the "inexcusable" treatment of wounded soldiers. What is really inexcusable is that he needed a newspaper to tell him about it. |
|
||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion