Date of Award
12-2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of City and Regional Planning (MCRP)
Department
City and Regional Planning
Committee Chair/Advisor
John Gaber, Ph.D., AICP
Committee Member
Barry Nocks, Ph.D., FAICP
Committee Member
Madeleine Bolick, Ph.D., GISP
Abstract
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center is the world’s largest military treatment facility and the primary provider of healthcare to the military, their families, and military retirees in the Washington DC area. The federal government is legally bound to provide access to primary healthcare services to Tricare enrollees within a 30-minute travel time of their residences. This time constraint has only been applied to the transit period from a patient’s residence to the base where the care is provided and has not accounted for the time it takes a patient to get to the clinic once they arrive at the base.
This study assessed the impact of transit congestion and travel time from each of the National Capital Region’s 11 counties and municipalities to Naval Support Activity Bethesda, where Walter Reed is located. This data determined the catchment area for Walter Reed and where gaps in service existed. This analysis showed that only Montgomery County, MD, Fairfax County, VA, and the city of Falls Church, VA fell within the 30-minute access requirement.
An on-site experiential analysis conducted during the first week of August determined how the impacts of base access, finding parking, and navigating the hospital complex affected the 30-minute timeframe for primary care access. This data was then used to show the diminished service area for primary care access at Walter Reed. The combined effects of base access, parking, and wayfinding reduced the primary care service area of Naval Support Activity Bethesda to only a limited section of Montogomery County, MD. The most pressing conclusion is that the time dedicated to finding parking and wayfinding significantly minimized the catchment area of Walter Reed.
This study proposed allowing for greater primary care through five options; streamlining wayfinding signage, constructing my patient parking, diverting care to the private market, allowing for military patients to access primary care services at Veterans Health Administration facilities, or creating DoD outpatient clinics. Of these recommendations, increasing permeability for patients to access care at VA facilities would be the most impactful to ensuring the maximum primary care coverage for Tricare enrollees in the National Capital Region.
Recommended Citation
Hauptman, Cory E., "Care Starts Before Entering the Clinic – A Holistic Approach to Assessing Primary Care Access at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center" (2025). All Theses. 4779.
https://open.clemson.edu/all_theses/4779