Walter Reed National Military Medical Center: Military Base Guide

ABOUT WALTER REED NATIONAL MILITARY MEDICAL CENTER

 

The original Army General Hospital was located at Fort McNair and commanded by Major William C. Borden. After much petitioning by Major Borden and his friend and college classmate, Major Walter Reed, the Army decided to move the hospital to a new location in Northwest Washington, D.C. Major Reed was best known for discovering the transmission of yellow fever by mosquitoes. Unfortunately, he died from complications after an appendectomy before the hospital was completed, but in 1909 it was opened and named in his honor.

Over the past century, the original Walter Reed General Hospital saw the addition of many new buildings, educational institutions, parking pavilions, and a new hospital. The most recent transformation came during one of the last rounds of BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure). In 2011, the long-serving Walter Reed Army Medical Center in NW Washington DC was closed and relocated to Bethesda, Maryland, where it was combined with the National Naval Medical Center (NNMC). The NNMC, which was established on that site in 1938, was renamed the "Walter Reed National Military Medical Center" (WRNMMC or "Walter Reed Bethesda").

Today, Walter Reed Bethesda is one of the country's largest and most renowned military medical centers and serves over a million beneficiaries annually. Also known as the president's hospital, Walter Reed Bethesda provides care for the president and vice-president of the United States, members of Congress, Supreme Court justices, and sometimes foreign military and ambassadors. The facility boasts 243 acres, 274 beds, and more than 2.4 million square feet of clinical space.

Major commuter thoroughfares are the I-495 Beltway, Route 355/Rockville Pike, Route 185/Connecticut Ave, and Interstate 270. Walter Reed Bethesda is located northwest of D.C. and lies inside the I-495 Beltway. Here you'll have easy access to the Metro's Red Line at Medical Center Station and local bus routes. Military housing in the D.C. area is available at either Bellevue (Lincoln Military Housing—enlisted only) or Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, both of which are located on the opposite side of D.C., south of the Anacostia River.

 

KEY CONTACTS

 

Naval Support Activity Bethesda

— Family Housing, 4650 Taylor Road, Bldg 17B, 3rd Floor Suite 3D, Bethesda, MD 20889 — PH: (301) 295-6564

JBAB Housing

— Housing Services Center, 21 MacDill Blvd., Washington, D.C. 20032 — PH: (202) 404-1840

Bolling Family Housing

— 8660 Angell St., Washington, D.C. 20032 — PH: (202) 562-2631

School Liaison Office

— 9045 Beale Rd., Bldg. 11, Rm. 135, Bethesda, MD 20889 — PH: (301) 295-7849

Note: Most installation services will be available Monday through Friday, 9:00am to 4:00pm. As always, call first to confirm hours and availability of services.

Helpful hint: Contact these offices early in the week during the morning time.