The healthcare system provided by the United States government for war veterans is sound.  On a national level the doctors are qualified, the facilities are adequate, and the care is acceptable.  Patients who need treatment, surgery, and medicine are treated by top doctors with dignity.  Families of patients are accommodated whenever possible, and physical recovery is facilitated with cutting-edge technology.

 

    Why, then, is the state of the military healthcare system in question?  In reality, the system is not perfect.  No system is ever perfect.  There are flaws caused by understaffing, lack of education, and lack of funding.  This is the reality of the world, though.  Not many programs will ever have enough manpower, people never stop learning, and there is never enough money to go around.  These are flaws that can be and are being dealt with through current legislation as the Iraq war winds down and more wounded veterans come back home to American soil.

 

    The issue that is causing questions about the state of military healthcare to be raised is the result of a patient after her or she has completed their recovery regimen.  Sure, the healthcare services themselves are of high quality, but these veterans face more than just physical recovery battles when they return home.  They also face emotional and social battles as they strive to return to normalcy after having witnessed the unthinkable overseas.  It is in this area that the government provides little to no support, and it is this overlooked area that is equally as important to the recovery of the veteran as the physical side.  

 

    War veteran amputees in particular face a unique challenge in terms of recovery and reintroduction to society, and a special building type has emerged to cater to their specific needs. This thesis proposes not just a rehabilitation center, but rather an advanced training center where patients will be trained physically, mentally, and socially.  The theories of social capital state that through human interaction people become inspired and motivated.  Based on this theory and evaluation of the shortcomings of the United States government’s commitment to a patient’s social success post-service, this thesis proposes a war veteran amputee rehabilitation facility strategically placed near an existing community on the Walter Reed Army Medical Center campus in Washington, D.C. with the expectation that living in a community provides an ideal setting to establish within the soldiers a sense of belonging.  Integrating patient housing with an established community provides opportunities for the effects social capital to sustain progress and morale of patients both physically and mentally throughout their rehabilitation.  Choosing the Walter Reed campus as the site will also bring merit back to a campus rooted in rich history whose reputation is currently plagued with reports of poor conditions and poor administrative organization.

 

    At what point does the government’s responsibility to these men and women end?  It is the argument of this thesis that the government can and should provide veterans with opportunities for a balanced rehabilitation aimed toward beginning their new lives after service, and that this can be accomplished through strategic design and programming of post-medical treatment facilities.