Rocky
12-12-06, 18:14
WASHINGTON - Officials at Walter Reed Army Medical Center will stop
accepting anonymous holiday gifts and cards for wounded patients there,
citing administrative costs and security concerns.
All packages and cards delivered to "any wounded soldier" at the medical
campus will be returned to their senders with a note explaining the program
change and suggesting other charities. The change was enacted in the past
week.
Packages sent to specific patients won´t be affected.
Center spokesman Terry Goodman said officials appreciate the donations, but
staff simply cannot handle the distribution and monitoring of the packages.
Last December, the hospital received more than 500,000 holiday packages and
cards.
"A lot of that was not able to be delivered to the troops until weeks after
the holidays," he said. "It´s just too overwhelming. "
Goodman said officials believe donors will understand the security and
logistical reasons behind the decision, and hope it will not affect their
generosity. Program administrators are speaking with local charities about
receiving some holiday donations for the wounded patients, but no decisions
have been made.
The center´s medical family assistance center will still distribute some
donations both with patients in Washington and at Landstuhl Regional Medical
Center in Germany, he said.
Meanwhile, officials have offered a list of Web sites of other charities
where donors can send their gifts:
o America Supports You charities: http://www.americas upportsyou. mil (http://www.americasupportsyou.mil/)
<http://www.americas upportsyou. mil/ (http://www.americasupportsyou.mil/)> o The USO:
http://www.usocares .org/src/ uso_donate. htm (http://www.usocares.org/src/uso_donate.htm)
o To Our Soldiers: http://www4. army.mil/ ocpa/tooursoldie rs (http://www4.army.mil/ocpa/tooursoldiers)
o The Red Cross: http://www.redcross .org (http://www.redcross.org/) <http://www.redcross .org/ (http://www.redcross.org/)>
Rules of what can and cannot be donated vary depending on the organization.
Maj. Gen. George Weightman, commanding general of the medical center, in a
statement said the hospital staffers "appreciate everything the general
public has done to support our soldiers."
Walter Reed has treated more than 5,400 patients from Iraq and Afghanistan
over the last five years, about 1,700 of whom have been battle casualties.
accepting anonymous holiday gifts and cards for wounded patients there,
citing administrative costs and security concerns.
All packages and cards delivered to "any wounded soldier" at the medical
campus will be returned to their senders with a note explaining the program
change and suggesting other charities. The change was enacted in the past
week.
Packages sent to specific patients won´t be affected.
Center spokesman Terry Goodman said officials appreciate the donations, but
staff simply cannot handle the distribution and monitoring of the packages.
Last December, the hospital received more than 500,000 holiday packages and
cards.
"A lot of that was not able to be delivered to the troops until weeks after
the holidays," he said. "It´s just too overwhelming. "
Goodman said officials believe donors will understand the security and
logistical reasons behind the decision, and hope it will not affect their
generosity. Program administrators are speaking with local charities about
receiving some holiday donations for the wounded patients, but no decisions
have been made.
The center´s medical family assistance center will still distribute some
donations both with patients in Washington and at Landstuhl Regional Medical
Center in Germany, he said.
Meanwhile, officials have offered a list of Web sites of other charities
where donors can send their gifts:
o America Supports You charities: http://www.americas upportsyou. mil (http://www.americasupportsyou.mil/)
<http://www.americas upportsyou. mil/ (http://www.americasupportsyou.mil/)> o The USO:
http://www.usocares .org/src/ uso_donate. htm (http://www.usocares.org/src/uso_donate.htm)
o To Our Soldiers: http://www4. army.mil/ ocpa/tooursoldie rs (http://www4.army.mil/ocpa/tooursoldiers)
o The Red Cross: http://www.redcross .org (http://www.redcross.org/) <http://www.redcross .org/ (http://www.redcross.org/)>
Rules of what can and cannot be donated vary depending on the organization.
Maj. Gen. George Weightman, commanding general of the medical center, in a
statement said the hospital staffers "appreciate everything the general
public has done to support our soldiers."
Walter Reed has treated more than 5,400 patients from Iraq and Afghanistan
over the last five years, about 1,700 of whom have been battle casualties.