Spotlight on LRMC_2

***image1***On a trip to the United States a few years ago, Thomas Pletsch met several Americans who told him they were born in Landstuhl and were very proud to claim it as their place of birth.

More recently, the Landstuhl deputy mayor traveled the short distance from his downtown office up the hill to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center where many of those former acquaintances lived and attended school while their parents served at the nearby hospital.

He was joined on the Feb. 9 trip by 19 fellow city council members who met LRMC leaders and received briefings and a tour of the medical center, revealing its impact on the local community and role in the Global War on Terrorism.

“We are glad to be here,” Herr Pletsch told Col. Brian Lein, LRMC commander, after their initial briefing. “The information has been really enlightening and given new depth about what we know about LRMC.”

The briefing highlighted ties between LRMC and its civilian counterparts through professional exchange events and in instances when Americans are cared for by German hospitals when specialty treatment is needed such as open heart surgery.  Recently, a coalition Soldier being treated at LRMC received prosthesis support on the German economy for a missing limb sustained downrange.

On a more practical note, the briefing revealed the economic impact LRMC has on the local economy, with more than $15 million in salaries for local nationals and $10 million invested in hospital construction projects.

Also during their visit, the city council toured a patient ward and the Wounded Warrior Ministry Center and took a bus tour of the caserne to include new housing projects.