SAN ANTONIO — Brittney Griner’s first stop when she returns to the United States won’t be her home in Phoenix, but Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio.
An official who was aware of the plans said a plane carrying Ms. Griner from the United Arab Emirates would take her to the US Army Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio; it was scheduled to land on Thursday night.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to discuss the plans.
Brooke Army Medical Center, located on the base, has long been a place where the U.S. government sent people who needed debriefing or who needed sensitive medical care after an ordeal like Mrs. Griner’s. The hospital treats both civilians and military personnel who have survived torture or other trauma.
In February, Ms. Griner, a popular WNBA basketball player, was arrested at a Moscow airport after customs officials said they found vape cartridges containing hash oil in her luggage. Her arrest came shortly before Russia invaded Ukraine and her case became entwined with the war and deteriorating relations between Washington and Moscow.
Convicted of drug smuggling, she was taken to one of Russia’s most notorious prisons, where ex-convicts undergo horrendous treatment in detail, including torture, beatings and forced labour.
It remains unclear what injuries Ms. Griner may have sustained while imprisoned in Russia. But the medical center in San Antonio, which has about 450 beds and some 8,000 staff, has the resources to help a patient like Ms. Griner. It consistently ranks top among its better-known peers, such as the Walter Reed National Army Medical Center in the Washington, DC, area.
Thursday night, a small group of reporters and photographers gathered outside downtown for her arrival.
Earlier this year, a former Texas Marine who, like Ms. Griner, had also been released from a Russian prison, was also being evaluated at the center in San Antonio. Trevor Reed was released after a similar prison exchange, which was also negotiated by the Biden administration. His family said he was showing symptoms of tuberculosis and coughing blood at the time.
Since 2001, according to the center’s website, the center has played an important role in providing medical care to those injured in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. It also houses a rehabilitation center known as the Center for the Intrepid, which specializes in caring for patients who have suffered serious injuries such as burns or amputations.
This is where one of the few survivors of the Uvalde massacre, Arnulfo Reyes, a fourth-grade teacher, was taken after suffering two gunshot wounds to his arm and back. Mr. Reyes is now home recovering from his injuries.
The center’s trauma unit cares for more than 4,000 military and civilian trauma patients and tends to make more than 80,000 emergency room visits per year, according to the center’s website. In addition, it serves as a training ground for both the United States Army and United States Air Force medical students.