Walter Reed will no longer take care packages

[Monkeyman]

The Word came down today. Because the Staff cannot handle the care packages not addressed to one person. They will no longer accept any gifts or care packages. They also sited security concerns

[nashville_brook]

1. so like, are people sending giant buckets of penecillin to Walter Reed?

[ewoden]

2. I visit there weekly,

We vets who work with counseling the rehab cases are having a harder time there these days.

[acmejack]

3. How so?

I was just at a couple of local VA facilities and I really didn't notice anything different. Of course I get frequent flier miles so I wouldn't, they all know me.

[Monkeyman]

5. VA budget on a CR

Which mean understaffed and underfunded. Watch for change if you see any let Larry Scott know here

http://www.vawatchdog.org

Two vets died at Spokane VA

[acmejack]

8. Oh, I kept notes meaning to do just that.

There were some very obvious issues. The One hour and 47 minute pain medication, I finally disconnected myself went to the Nurse's Station and showed them how the old Chief reacted when he caught you fucking off on the midwatch. I also attempted to listen to staff complaints as much as I could, because as you know, there are plenty of great people working at the VA. But yeah, they are working their collective butts off, I couldn't get around enough to ascertain the patient to nurse ratio, which I know is the gold standard (There was a recent Nurses demonstration at the Capitol here) to figure out these things & I was too medicated to ask doh.

If you would like, I'll make you an info addee on whatever I send to Larry.

[Monkeyman]

4. We know its bad but how bad????

[ewoden]

6. Despite best intentions, it is hard to keep up.

A lot of dedicated folks working to help guys and gals get there lives together. Harder and harder to watch those who are in despair, worried uncontrollably about their families, lost if feelings that folks are losing interest in their plight. I know most Americans have our men and women in uniform in their hearts and minds (its the politicians who make war, it's the soldiers who live and die it). Still there's not enough folks of good works and willing backs to make the loads lighter. After a while you begin to wonder if average Joe American is really taking out much time in their daily life to consider the real impacts, in human terms, of this war.

Discussion of specific issues about how volunteers are viewed and utilized is not constructive. Want to know more?, contact the VA volunteer coordinators and fill out an application (http://www1.va.gov/volunteer/). You'll get to meet some extraordinary men and women, now in uniform, never in uniform, and once in uniform.

[Monkeyman]

7. I go to the VA twice a week for treatment while I.m there I help feed the wounded

Then we go back as much as we can with canteen books

[Captain Hilts]

9. The folks at Walter Reed and Bethesda Naval are doing a great job with our troops...

but they have a real problem with everyone who's got an i.d. card wanting to visit the wards and, of course, every member of congress going through for a grip and grin. I remember seeing business cards from Bush-Cheney 2004 left with the troops.

The Bethesda Naval people said that the folks that really need help are the medical staffers. They're mostly under 30, over-worked, and stressed by having to watch people take a year to sit up, walk, etc.

[Monkeyman]

10. It was the same during Nam

My Ot Got me up in about a year. I loved the staff then. They made me get up and walk again