Landstuhl Regional Medical Center

Geschichte

The Landstuhl Regional Medical Center is an overseas military hospital operated by the United States Army and the Department of Defense. LRMC is the largest military hospital outside of the continental United States. It is located near Landstuhl, Germany, and serves as the nearest treatment center for wounded soldiers coming from Iraq and Afghanistan. In addition, it serves military personnel stationed in the European Union as well as their family members.The medical center also serves as a stop-over for serious casualties from Iraq and Afghanistan before being flown to the United States.With the United States military's gradual withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan over the years, the number of casualties have dwindled and Landstuhl was downgraded to a Level III trauma center in May 2014. The Navy disbanded its Expeditionary Medical Unit later that same year.HistoryFounded in 1953, the hospital was known as the 2nd General Hospital, or Landstuhl Army Medical Center. During the 1990s, the United States Army Europe underwent a reorganization, and the hospitals in Frankfurt, Berlin, Nuremberg, and other bases were gradually closed down, or were downsized to clinics. In April 1993, a group of 288 Air Force personnel augmented the staff, thus making Landstuhl a joint medical unit. By 1997, it was the U.S. military's only medical center in Europe, and it then became known as Landstuhl Regional Medical Center.