SPIN WATCH

Due to its improbability and its exceedingly negative tone (both red flags these days for me) I did not link to this Washington Times article on Saturday. But to make a point, I will now.

War casualties overflow Walter Reed hospital

By Jon Ward
THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Officials at Walter Reed Army Medical Center are referring some outpatients to nearby hotels because casualties from operations in Afghanistan and Iraq have overloaded the hospital's convalescence facility.

"We have an informal agreement with any number of hotels in the area. If we come to this point, they will take [patients] for us," said Walter Reed spokesman Jim Stueve. "They're very supportive and cooperative when we need that assistance."

The Army hospital and its convalescence facility, Mologne House, are at maximum occupancy capacity, with 96 percent of their outpatient beds filled with war wounded.

Walter Reed has been at maximum capacity since Operation Enduring Freedom began in Afghanistan in 2001, Mr. Stueve said, adding that the hospital's 3,900 staffers have "put in a substantial amount of overtime."

Before Enduring Freedom, the hospital's occupancy rate had held steady at 83 percent for five years.

"We haven't been average here for well over a year. We've been really busy. They've been rolling in here real regular," Mr. Stueve said.

The Mologne House is a 280-bed facility for outpatients who need continued care or rehabilitation, as well as their families.

Now for the SPIN WATCH.

Turns out, the Mologne House is not a convalesence facility. It is a hotel (or "Lodging" in Army Speak). And it books rooms, first come, first served, as they all do. See it here.


A clear case of embellishment worthy of the New York Times was the article by Jon Ward, "War casualties overflow Walter Reed hospital" (Page 1, Monday).

I have stayed in the Mologne House. This is not an outpatient facility.

The Mologne House is an on-post hotel, period.

Heh.