[Vision2020] [Spam] Shameful Neglect and a Shameful Government
Art Deco
deco at moscow.com
Tue Mar 13 13:10:35 PDT 2007
Bill London is correct:
CONTRACTOR TO BLAME?
Switch to private maintenance company may have left Walter Reed Army Medical Center understaffed
The Washington Post
March 11, 2007
WASHINGTON - The scandal over dilapidated housing for outpatients at Walter Reed Army Medical Center has focused attention on the decision to replace Army employees who maintained the hospital with a contractor connected to the Bush administration and to a Halliburton subsidiary.
Commanders say the move left the building maintenance staff undermanned.
The Post has reported that in addition to bureaucratic delays in medical care, outpatients are housed in older buildings that have black mold, cockroaches, leaky plumbing, broken elevators and other problems.
Some Democratic lawmakers have questioned hiring IAP Worldwide Services, which won a $120-million contract last year to maintain and operate Walter Reed facilities.
The decision reversed a 2004 finding by the Army that it would be more cost-effective to keep the work in-house. After IAP protested, Army auditors ruled that the cost estimates offered by in-house federal workers were too low.
On Friday, the American Federation of Government Employees, the largest federal workers union, blamed pressure put on the Army from the White House's Office of Management and Budget for the decision to privatize its civilian workforce.
"Left to its own devices, the Army would likely have suspended this privatization effort," union president John Gage said in a statement.
IAP did not take over management until last month. While awaiting the takeover, the number of maintenance workers at Walter Reed dropped from 180 to 100, and the hospital found it hard to hire replacements.
Maj. Gen. George Weightman, Walter Reed's previous commander, said the privatization "absolutely" contributed to the problems.
IAP said in a statement it has "responded with a sense of urgency to address maintenance concerns." The White House did not comment.
IAP is owned by Cerberus Capital Management LP, an asset management firm chaired by former Treasury secretary John Snow. The company is headed by two former high-ranking executives of KBR, a Halliburton subsidiary.
____________________________________
Privatizing of Walter Reed scrutinized
Some say move added to problems
Lieutenant General Kevin Kiley and Major General George Weightman at a House subcommittee hearing earlier this week at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington.
By Steve Vogel, Washington Post | March 11, 2007
WASHINGTON -- The scandal over treatment of outpatients at Walter Reed Army Medical Center has focused attention on the Army's decision to privatize the facilities-support workforce at the hospital, a move commanders say left the building maintenance crew understaffed.
Some Democratic lawmakers have questioned the decision to hire IAP Worldwide Services, a contractor with connections to the Bush administration and to KBR, a Halliburton subsidiary.
Last year, IAP won a $120 million contract to maintain and operate Walter Reed facilities. The decision reversed a 2004 finding by the Army that it would be more cost-effective to keep the work in-house.
After IAP protested, Army auditors ruled that the cost estimates offered by in-house federal workers were too low. They had to submit a new bid, which added 23 employees and $16 million to their cost, according to the Army.
Last week, the American Federation of Government Employees, the largest federal workers union, blamed pressure on the Army from the White House's Office of Management and Budget for the decision to privatize its civilian workforce.
"Left to its own devices, the Army would likely have suspended this privatization effort," said John Gage, president of the organization. "However, the political pressure from OMB left Army officials with no choice but to go forward, even if that resulted in unsatisfactory care to the nation's veterans."
The Army selected IAP for the five-year deal in January 2006, but IAP did not take over management until last month. During that period, the number of facilities management workers at Walter Reed dropped from about 180 to 100, and the hospital found it hard to hire replacements.
Major General George Weightman, who was Walter Reed's commander until he was relieved last week, testified last week that the privatization -- in combination with a decision by the Pentagon in 2005 to close Walter Reed by 2011 -- "absolutely" contributed to the problems.
IAP said in a statement it has "responded with a sense of urgency to address maintenance concerns throughout the [Walter Reed] complex."
Senator Barbara Mikulski, Democrat of Maryland, charged that the Bush administration had unfairly blamed federal workers for problems "that are a direct result of the Bush administration's contracting out policy."
The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
IAP, based in Cape Canaveral, has provided such services to the government as delivering ice in the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina and helping maintain Afghanistan's air traffic control system. In 2006, the firm had $393 million in military contracts, according to Pentagon data.
IAP is owned by Cerberus Capital Management LP, an asset-management firm chaired by John Snow, former Treasury secretary . The company is headed by two former high-ranking executives of KBR, formerly known as Kellogg Brown & Root.
Al Neffgen, IAP's chief executive, was chief operating officer for a KBR division before joining IAP in 2004. IAP's president, Dave Swindle, is a former KBR vice president.
The company has worked at Walter Reed since 2003, providing housekeepers, computer analysts, and clerks under a Treasury contract.
In a separate development, Representative Harry Mitchell, Democrat of Arizona, said yesterday that the mold-covered walls, rodent infestations, and other problems uncovered recently at Walter Reed reveal "a catastrophic failure of leadership" by the Bush administration.
In the Democrats' weekly radio address, Mitchell said Congress is acting quickly to hold the administration accountable for underfunding and mismanaging the veterans healthcare system.
Mitchell's comments come after a week of congressional hearings on reports of shoddy outpatient healthcare at Walter Reed.
Army and administration officials have said they are working to fix the problems . Caseworkers, financial specialists, and others have been added to work with injured soldiers' families.
Mitchell said the Bush administration has tried to care for veterans "on the cheap."
Democrats have provided about $3.5 billion above the president's budget request in the emergency war funding bill, which House members will vote on soon, to deal with the health care problems faced by veterans, he said.
Material from the Associated Press was included in this report.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bill London" <london at moscow.com>
To: "Pat Kraut" <pkraut at moscow.com>; "vision2020" <vision2020 at moscow.com>
Sent: Tuesday, March 13, 2007 12:13 PM
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] [Spam] Shameful Neglect and a Shameful Government
> Actually, the mess at Walter Reed is an example of a well-run government
> program being outsourced to private industry.
> The US Army was FORCED by the White House to turn over Walter Reed services
> to Halliburton.
> BL
>
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Pat Kraut" <pkraut at moscow.com>
> To: "vision2020" <vision2020 at moscow.com>
> Sent: Monday, March 12, 2007 6:59 PM
> Subject: Re: [Vision2020] [Spam] Shameful Neglect and a Shameful Government
>
>
>> It is just a wonderful example of a government run health plan!!
>>
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Sue Hovey" <suehovey at moscow.com>
>> To: "lfalen" <lfalen at turbonet.com>; <vision2020 at moscow.com>
>> Sent: Monday, March 12, 2007 4:38 PM
>> Subject: Re: [Vision2020] [Spam] Shameful Neglect and a Shameful
> Government
>>
>>
>> I agree. This last wave of neglect at Walter Reed only highlights what we
>> have been hearing for the past couple of years.
>>
>> Sue
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "lfalen" <lfalen at turbonet.com>
>> To: "Sue Hovey" <suehovey at moscow.com>; <vision2020 at moscow.com>
>> Sent: Monday, March 12, 2007 11:20 AM
>> Subject: Re: [Spam] [Vision2020] Shameful Neglect and a Shameful
> Government
>>
>>
>> > Sue
>> >
>> > I agree that something is wrong with the way we care for veterans. I get
>> > solicitations for support from six of seven organizations that help
>> > veterans. I support some of these as I can. However I thing that is it
> the
>> > responsibility of the government to provide our veterans with top notch
>> > care. It is a disgrace that they have to ask for private funding.
>> > Roger
>> > -----Original message-----
>> > From: "Sue Hovey" suehovey at moscow.com
>> > Date: Mon, 12 Mar 2007 13:50:56 -0700
>> > To: vision2020 at moscow.com
>> > Subject: [Spam] [Vision2020] Shameful Neglect and a Shameful Government
>> >
>> >> >From a Letter to the Editor in West Hawaii Today: (March 12, 2007)
>> >>
>> >> My former husband recently passed away after losing a 40-year-long
>> >> battle against the effects of the Vietnam War.
>> >> Mike suffered from Non-Hodgkins lymphoma, which physically weakened
>> >> him, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and acute alcoholism that
>> >> mentally crippled him. The former caused him to finally be unable to
>> >> wield the framers hammer that had always provided his living. The
> latter
>> >> made it impossible for him to be in the company of the family that he
>> >> loved.
>> >> Towards the end of his life Mike finally sought the help of the
>> >> Veteran's Administration. This was the act of a desperate man as he'd
>> >> always said that he never wanted another thing from the U S Government.
>> >> The long lines and endless paperwork were more than he could tolerate
> and
>> >> he died alone at a campsite in the snow.
>> >> I traveled to Oregon with our grown children to take care of Mike's
>> >> funeral arrangements. He wanted to be scattered on "his" mountain.
>> >> The one thig that he had counted on the government to do for him was
>> >> denied. The Veteran's Administration will not cremate one of their own
>> >> unless they are receiving monetary benefits, are an officer, or if the
>> >> veteran actually dies in one of their hospitals. Mike would have
>> >> received benefits if he could have held on for another six months and
> his
>> >> claim had been settled. It would have been settled in his favor
> because
>> >> his type of lymphoma is a direct result of the Agent Orange he had been
>> >> showered with at age 18.
>> >> Shame on the United States government. It killed this man
> twice--once
>> >> in Vietnam and again on a lonely, snowy mountain.
>> >> While the veterans did not bury Mike, they did provide his son with a
>> >> full-sized United States flag. A flag of loosely woven fabric and
>> >> labeled with a large "MADE IN CHINA" tag.
>> >>
>> >> Lisa Angelo Wyrick
>> >> Kailua-Kona
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > --
>> > No virus found in this incoming message.
>> > Checked by AVG Free Edition.
>> > Version: 7.5.446 / Virus Database: 268.18.9/719 - Release Date:
> 3/12/2007
>> > 8:41 AM
>> >
>> >
>>
>> =======================================================
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>>
>>
>> --
>> No virus found in this incoming message.
>> Checked by AVG Free Edition.
>> Version: 7.5.446 / Virus Database: 268.18.9/719 - Release Date: 3/12/07
> 8:41
>> AM
>>
>>
>> =======================================================
>> List services made available by First Step Internet,
>> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
>> http://www.fsr.net
>> mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
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>
> =======================================================
> List services made available by First Step Internet,
> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
> http://www.fsr.net
> mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
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