Today marks the closure of Walter Reed Army Medical Center after 102 years of service. Main operations for the facility will relocate six miles away in a new location in Bethesda, Md. that will consolidate three other military facilities. This move was determined in 2005 by the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission. The main red buildings of historical significance will stay in their present location as the facility is turned over to the local city of Washington, D.C. and the State Department.
Walter Reed Army Medical Center will be combining with the Bethesda Naval Hospital to form the new Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
ABOUT:
Walter Reed Army Medical Center is the United States Army flagship medical center. It is located on 113 acres in Washington, D.C. and currently serves more than 150,000 active and retired personnel from all branches of the military including many of todays OIF/OEF causalities. The center opened in 1909 and was named after Major Walter Reed, an Army Physician who helped to confirm that yellow fever is transmitted by mosquitoes rather than direct contact. The facility has grown over the years from a bed capacity of 80 patients to approximately 5,500 rooms that cover over 28 acres of floor space. The main hospital facility was turned into a command suite and replaced by a more modern 2,500 bed hospital in 1977.
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