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Letter of Support
Linda Wolf and Mission:M4 |
February 2023
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It has been a pleasure for the Walter Reed Society to partner with Linda Wolf and her organization Mission:M4 (Military MRI Minus Medication) since 2017. Linda has been the true force behind the foundation and success of Mission:M4 in bringing new technology to military hospitals.
Established in 1996, the Walter Reed Society, Inc. is a 501(c) 3 non-profit charity that assists soldiers and their families who receive care at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. We provide, as funds allow, support that the federal government cannot provide by regulation or simply lack of funds. Our original organizational charter limited us to providing support to patients and/or their families at Walter Reed. Several years ago, we formed the Walter Reed Foundation whose purpose was to extend our benevolent support to military patients and families beyond Walter Reed.
In 2018, Linda became aware of new technology that would allow children and adults to undergo an MRI examination with little or no sedative medication. All of us who have had an MRI know that it can be a frightening experience causing even adults to sometimes require sedation to stay in the MRI tube. One can easily imagine what the experience could be like for a child. No one has an MRI unless they are ill or have a significant illness or injury that is being investigated. This obviously increases the worry factor and stress of the procedure. Together, the Walter Reed Society and Mission:M4, explored the Portable Video Display (PVD), and found this equipment allowed a patient to view a video while undergoing the MRI procedure; in use at other facilities, the PVD had been shown to reduce or even eliminate the need for patient sedation. Linda, who had been involved in other projects at Walter Reed became determined to bring this technology to the children cared for at Walter Reed where it was not available and to other military hospitals as well.
The Walter Reed Society and Walter Reed Foundation teamed up with Mission:M4 to make this happen. Mission:M4 worked diligently to raise the funds to purchase the equipment and assisted in working the bureaucracy at Walter Reed to get the PVD installed. Following successful installation at Walter Reed, she quickly moved to begin placement of a second PVD at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. Linda has also taken the initiative to meet with leadership in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense, Health Affairs in an effort to get the military to agree to support this equipment in all appropriate military hospitals.
Linda is an outstanding example of one person truly making a difference. We are very proud of what we have accomplished together and equally impressed that someone without a background in the abyss of the federal government could actually make this happen. Thank you, Linda!
Sincerely,
John R. Pierce, M.D.
Colonel, Medical Corps U.S. Army (Ret.)
President
Established in 1996, the Walter Reed Society, Inc. is a 501(c) 3 non-profit charity that assists soldiers and their families who receive care at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. We provide, as funds allow, support that the federal government cannot provide by regulation or simply lack of funds. Our original organizational charter limited us to providing support to patients and/or their families at Walter Reed. Several years ago, we formed the Walter Reed Foundation whose purpose was to extend our benevolent support to military patients and families beyond Walter Reed.
In 2018, Linda became aware of new technology that would allow children and adults to undergo an MRI examination with little or no sedative medication. All of us who have had an MRI know that it can be a frightening experience causing even adults to sometimes require sedation to stay in the MRI tube. One can easily imagine what the experience could be like for a child. No one has an MRI unless they are ill or have a significant illness or injury that is being investigated. This obviously increases the worry factor and stress of the procedure. Together, the Walter Reed Society and Mission:M4, explored the Portable Video Display (PVD), and found this equipment allowed a patient to view a video while undergoing the MRI procedure; in use at other facilities, the PVD had been shown to reduce or even eliminate the need for patient sedation. Linda, who had been involved in other projects at Walter Reed became determined to bring this technology to the children cared for at Walter Reed where it was not available and to other military hospitals as well.
The Walter Reed Society and Walter Reed Foundation teamed up with Mission:M4 to make this happen. Mission:M4 worked diligently to raise the funds to purchase the equipment and assisted in working the bureaucracy at Walter Reed to get the PVD installed. Following successful installation at Walter Reed, she quickly moved to begin placement of a second PVD at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. Linda has also taken the initiative to meet with leadership in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense, Health Affairs in an effort to get the military to agree to support this equipment in all appropriate military hospitals.
Linda is an outstanding example of one person truly making a difference. We are very proud of what we have accomplished together and equally impressed that someone without a background in the abyss of the federal government could actually make this happen. Thank you, Linda!
Sincerely,
John R. Pierce, M.D.
Colonel, Medical Corps U.S. Army (Ret.)
President