In the wake of the scandal over poor treatment for returning war veterans at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in the nation?s capital, U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings took a private tour of Baltimore?s veteran care facility to gauge treatment here.
“I?ve spoken to both patients and staff, and I?m pleased to say things here seem to be in good shape,” Cummings, D-Md., said at a press briefing after the tour at the Veterans Administration Medical Center downtown. “I urge all members of Congress to visit the veterans? hospitals in their districts to ensure that good care is being given to our soldiers.”
Cummings, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, said the treatment of soldiers at Walter Reed ? where substandard care has made national headlines ? was unacceptable.
“The testimony before my committee about the conditions at Walter Reed was chilling and shocking to the conscience,” Cummings said.
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Jason Ehrhart, 21, a, Iraq war veteran who was injured by an improvised explosive device near Baghdad in November of 2004, has been receiving treatment in Baltimore for 15 months.
“It?s been good,” he said.
Ehrhart?s mother, Pam Estes, said her son, who has a serious brain injury that impairs his short-term memory, goes to physical therapy five times a week. She said he was able to get good treatment outside the hospital paid for by the Veterans Administration.
“We?ve been very pleased with being able to go to an outside facility for some of his physical therapy,” she said.
Hospital Chief of Staff Susan Snow said that while there is enough money to ensure Ehrhart gets proper care, injuries as a result of the surge of troops deployed to Iraq could create problems.
“If we continue to have more of these types of cases, it will put a strain on the system,” she said.
Currently the hospital treats nearly 3,000 veterans of both the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
Cummings said his greatest concern was preparing for the future care of the troops.
“I concerned about providing for ongoing care because what the administration is telling us keeps changing,” he said. “We need to put aside our political differences so that we can do better ? we have to do better for our troops.”
