SAN ANTONIO — Brittney Griner’s first stop when she returns to the United States will not be her home in Phoenix, but the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas.
An official briefed on the plan said a plane carrying Griner from the United Arab Emirates was taking her to Joint US Army Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio; it was scheduled to land on Thursday night.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the plans.
The Brooke Army Medical Center, located on the base, has long been a place where the US government sends people in need of questioning or those in need of sensitive medical care after going through an ordeal like Griner’s. The hospital treats both civilians and military personnel who have survived torture or other trauma.
In February, Ms. Griner, a famous WNBA basketball player, was arrested at a Moscow airport after customs officers said they found a vape box containing cannabis oil in her luggage. Her arrest came just before Russia invaded Ukraine and her case became entangled in war and deteriorating relations between Washington and Moscow.
She was found guilty of drug trafficking and sent to one of Russia’s most notorious prisons, where former prisoners were treated horribly, including torture, beatings and forced labor.
It remains unclear what injuries Griner may have sustained during her time in captivity in Russia. But the medical center in San Antonio, which has about 450 beds and about 8,000 staff, has the resources to help patients like Griner. It has consistently ranked top among more well-known peers, such as the Walter Reed National Army Medical Center in Washington DC.
On Thursday night, a small group of reporters and photographers gathered outside the center to pick her up.
Earlier this year, a former Marine from Texas who, like Griner, was also released from prison in Russia, was also evaluated at the center in San Antonio. Trevor Reed is freed after a similar prison exchange, has also been negotiated by the Biden administration. His family said that, at the time, he was already showing symptoms of tuberculosis and coughing up blood.
According to center ‘s website. It also has a rehabilitation facility called the Intrepid Center, which specializes in caring for patients with severe injuries such as burns or amputations.
It’s where one of the few survivors of the Uvalde massacre, Arnulfo Reyes, a fourth grade teacher, was taken away after he suffered two bullet wounds to his arm and back. Mr Reyes is currently at home recovering from his injuries.
The center’s trauma unit cares for more than 4,000 military and civilian trauma patients and tends to receive more than 80,000 emergency visits each year, according to the center’s website. In addition, it serves as a training ground for both US Army and US Air Force medical students.
