March 12, 2007—The scandal over treatment of outpatients at Walter Reed Army Medical Center has focused attention on the Army’s decision to privatize the facilities support workforce at the hospital, a move commanders say left the building maintenance staff undermanned, notes a Washington Post article.
Some Democratic lawmakers have questioned the decision to hire IAP Worldwide Services, a contractor with connections to the Bush administration and to KBR, a Halliburton subsidiary, the article says.
The Army selected IAP for the five-year deal in January 2006, but IAP did not take over management until last month. During that period, the number of facilities management workers at Walter Reed dropped from about 180 to 100, and the hospital found it hard to hire replacements.
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—Source: Washington Post
