The Mystery Of Trump's Walter Reed Visit

Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC), officially known as Walter Reed General Hospital (WRGH) until 1951, was the U.S. Army's flagship medical center from 1909 to 2011. The center was named after Walter Reed, a U.S. Army physician and Major who confirmed that yellow fever is transmitted by mosquitoes. Since its opening, the center has treated several U.S. presidents, including Lyndon B. Johnson, who underwent surgery at the hospital to have his gallbladder and a kidney stone removed. In 2005, the Department of Defense proposed replacing Walter Reed Army Medical Center with a new Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) in Bethesda, Maryland. The new center, which combined WRAMC with the National Naval Medical Center, officially opened in 2011.

The Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) was the US Army's flagship medical center from 1909 to 2011

The Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC), officially known as Walter Reed General Hospital (WRGH) until 1951, was the flagship medical center of the US Army from 1909 to 2011. It was located on 113 acres in Washington, D.C., and served more than 150,000 active and retired personnel from all branches of the US Armed Forces. The center was named after Walter Reed, a US Army physician and Major who confirmed that yellow fever is transmitted by mosquitoes.

The history of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center can be traced back to the 1890s, when the health clinic was used as an Army General Hospital for training physicians, corpsmen, and nurses in military healthcare. In 1899, the morgue was constructed, which now houses the Dental Clinic. The hospital became an entirely separate command in 1901 and relocated eight years later in 1909 with the aid of horse-drawn wagons and an experimental steam-driven ambulance. They transported 11 patients from a 50-bed hospital to a new 65-bed facility in the northern part of the capital, departing from Ft. McNair.

The construction of the Walter Reed General Hospital (WRGH), also known as "Building 1", began in 1907 with a congressional appropriation of $192,000. The first ten patients were admitted on May 1, 1909. Lieutenant Colonel William Cline Borden was the driving force behind the creation, planning, and securing congressional support for the medical center. Due to his efforts, the facility was nicknamed "Borden's Dream".

In 1923, General John J. Pershing signed a War Department order establishing the "Army Medical Center" (AMC) on the same campus as WRGH. In 1951, the WRGH was combined with the AMC, and the complex was renamed the "Walter Reed Army Medical Center" (WRAMC). Over the years, the medical care at the facility expanded significantly, growing from an initial capacity of 80 beds to approximately 5,500 rooms covering more than 28 acres of floor space.

In 2005, the Department of Defense proposed replacing WRAMC with a new Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) on the grounds of the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. This decision was made to cut costs after a 2007 scandal involving substandard living conditions for wounded troops in outpatient care. WRAMC officially closed in 2011, combining with the National Naval Medical Center to form the tri-service WRNMMC. The former WRAMC campus is being redeveloped as The Parks at Walter Reed.

In 2011, WRAMC combined with the National Naval Medical Center to form the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC)

The Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC), formerly known as the Walter Reed General Hospital (WRGH), was the U.S. Army's flagship medical center from 1909 to 2011. It was named after Walter Reed, a U.S. Army physician and Major who confirmed that yellow fever is transmitted by mosquitoes. Since its establishment, the medical facility expanded from 80 beds to approximately 5,500 rooms. In addition to the hospital complex, WRAMC hosted several related organisations, including the National Museum of Health and Medicine (NMHM) and the Borden Institute.

In 2005, the Department of Defense proposed replacing WRAMC with a new Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC). The new medical center would be located on the grounds of the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, about seven miles from WRAMC's original location in Washington, D.C. This proposal was part of a cost-cutting measure and a plan to transform medical facilities into joint facilities with staff from the Army, Navy, and Air Force. The transfer of services from WRAMC to the new location was gradual to ensure continuity of care for service members, retirees, and their families.

On August 27, 2011, WRAMC's operations ended, and it combined with the National Naval Medical Center to form the tri-service Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC). The new medical center serves as the headquarters for the National Capital Region Medical Directorate, providing command and control for medical treatment facilities in several states. WRNMMC continues to provide all the services previously offered by WRAMC and the National Naval Medical Center. The historic buildings of the old WRAMC campus are being redeveloped as The Parks at Walter Reed.

The decision to relocate WRAMC was expected to save the government money by reducing maintenance costs. However, the relocation costs tripled the initial projections, with the move costing $2.7 billion instead of the projected $900 million. Despite the increased costs, the new WRNMMC is one of the largest and most prominent military medical centers in the United States, providing medical care for several U.S. presidents and serving members of the military, veterans, and their families.

WRNMMC is located in Bethesda, Maryland, and is one of the largest military medical centers in the US

Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC), formerly known as Walter Reed General Hospital (WRGH), was the U.S. Army's flagship medical center from 1909 to 2011. In 2011, the WRAMC combined with the National Naval Medical Center at Bethesda, Maryland, to form the tri-service Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC). WRNMMC is located in Bethesda, Maryland, and is one of the largest and most prominent military medical centers in the United States.

WRNMMC is colloquially referred to as Bethesda Naval Hospital, Walter Reed, or Navy Med. The center is named after Walter Reed, a U.S. Army physician and Major who confirmed that yellow fever is transmitted by mosquitoes. The original medical center included the Naval Hospital, designed to hold 1,200 beds, as well as the Naval Medical School and the Naval Dental School.

The decision to relocate WRAMC to Bethesda was made in 2005 as a cost-cutting measure. The original estimate for the cost of the relocation was "just under $900 million," but the final cost unexpectedly rose to $2.7 billion. The new facility was projected to save about $172 million per year in maintenance costs compared to the old building.

WRNMMC serves as the headquarters for the National Capital Region Medical Directorate, providing command and control for medical treatment facilities in the District of Columbia, Northern Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and New Jersey. The center provides medical services for military personnel, veterans, and their families.

WRNMMC has provided medical care for several U.S. presidents since its opening in 1940. Since Roosevelt, most presidents have used either Bethesda or Walter Reed AMC as the primary facility for their medical care and that of their families. President Lyndon B. Johnson was a patient at the medical center several times during his presidency.

WRAMC was named after US Army physician and Major Walter Reed, who confirmed that yellow fever is transmitted by mosquitoes

The Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC), previously known as the Walter Reed General Hospital (WRGH), was the U.S. Army's flagship medical center from 1909 to 2011. WRAMC was named after U.S. Army physician and Major Walter Reed, who played a pivotal role in confirming that yellow fever is transmitted by mosquitoes rather than direct physical contact.

Major Walter Reed was a dedicated and influential figure in the field of medicine, particularly in the context of yellow fever. In 1900, the U.S. Army, frustrated by the lack of progress in understanding yellow fever, formed the U.S. Army Yellow Fever Commission, also known as the Reed Commission, with Major Walter Reed as its chairman. The commission included three other specialists in infectious diseases: James Carroll, Aristides Agramonte, and Jesse W. Lazear. They conducted a series of experiments to unravel the mysteries of yellow fever transmission.

Prior to Reed's work, the common belief was that yellow fever was transmitted through fomites, which included clothing and bedding soiled by the body fluids and excrement of yellow fever victims. However, Reed's experiments demonstrated that exposure to these fomites did not lead to yellow fever infection. This finding contradicted the prevailing theories at the time and opened the door to exploring alternative modes of transmission.

Cuban physician Carlos Finlay had previously proposed the theory that yellow fever was spread by mosquitoes as early as 1881. However, his hypothesis was not widely accepted by the mainstream scientific community due to a lack of conclusive experimental evidence. Building on Finlay's idea, Reed and his team conducted a series of experiments to test the mosquito theory. They allowed themselves to be bitten by mosquitoes infected with yellow fever, putting themselves at great personal risk.

The Reed Commission's experiments provided conclusive proof that yellow fever was indeed spread by mosquitoes, specifically female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which carried the virus from person to person through their bites. This discovery was a groundbreaking advancement in the understanding and control of yellow fever. As a result of their findings, the military governor of Cuba authorized the implementation of mosquito eradication programs, which successfully curbed and eventually eradicated yellow fever in the region.

In summary, WRAMC was named after U.S. Army physician and Major Walter Reed, who played a pivotal role in confirming that yellow fever is transmitted by mosquitoes. Reed's leadership of the U.S. Army Yellow Fever Commission and his dedication to finding the true cause of this disease led to significant advancements in medicine and public health, particularly in the context of yellow fever prevention and treatment.

The hospital has treated several US presidents, including Lyndon B. Johnson and George W. Bush

The Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC), formerly known as the Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC), has been the site of medical treatment for several US presidents. The hospital was founded in 1909 as an 80-bed facility and has since grown significantly, serving more than 150,000 active and retired military personnel. In 2011, WRAMC combined with the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, to form the current WRNMMC.

Lyndon B. Johnson was a patient at the medical center on several occasions during his presidency. On January 23, 1965, he was hospitalized with what was described as "a common cold with tracheal and bronchial irritation." On December 18, 1968, during the Hong Kong flu pandemic, Johnson was again hospitalized with an upper respiratory infection and bronchial irritation.

Another president who received treatment at Walter Reed was Ronald Reagan. On July 13, 1985, Reagan underwent surgery to remove a cancerous polyp from his colon. During this procedure, he temporarily transferred power to then-Vice President George H. W. Bush. Reagan returned to the hospital on January 5, 1987, for a transurethral prostatectomy.

More recently, in 2020, President Donald Trump was admitted to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center after contracting COVID-19. He received various treatments, including supplemental oxygen, steroids, and antiviral drugs. Trump recovered from the coronavirus and returned to the White House, downplaying the severity of the disease despite the high death toll in the United States.

The hospital has also treated first ladies, including Betty Ford, Nancy Reagan, and Melania Trump. Additionally, President George W. Bush was involved in matters related to the hospital, officiating the groundbreaking ceremony for the merger of WRAMC and the National Naval Medical Center in 2005.

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