neighborhood news
Expanding Health Care Access in Wards 7 and 8 Two New Hospitals To Be Built
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by Elizabeth O’Gorek
s COVID-19 infection and death rates indiSpring 2022 respectively. Universal Health Services is foothospital is completed. In addition, the District is comcate that people in wards 7 and 8 are most ing the $22 million bill for the urgent care centers. mitting $25 million in public infrastructure support and vulnerable, an expansion of healthcare acThe deals come as the District faces a budget shortfall $26.6 million over the next six years. cess to these perpetually underserved areas due to Coronavirus closures. DC Council must approve Negotiations on the agreements took more than a of the District is now underway. the contract, and a vote is expected in June. year, said City Administrator Rashid Young. ”The mayThe District announced an expansion of testing for Construction at St. Elizabeth’s hospital is expected to or’s mandate to us is that we ought to be out of the hosCOVID-19 and that two new hospitals will be built, one cost $306 million. The new facility will include 136 inpapital business,” said Young, “and so it was a really diffion the St. Elizabeth’s Campus in Ward 8 and another on tient beds with the possibility of expanding to 196, Intencult set of discussions to figure out how we could both Georgia Avenue NW in Ward 1. sive Care Unit (ICU), surgery and operating rooms, newfinance a hospital and have a hospital operated by someMayor Muriel Bowser (D) presented the new hospital born delivery and emergency departments for adults and one other than us.” at St. Elizabeth’s as part of the effort towards a more equichildren. It will function as a teaching and research hostable health system. There is an opportunity presented by pital in partnership with the George Washington School Disparities in Health the COVID-19 recovery process to rebuild and address of Medicine and Medical Faculty Associates. The Howard University Hospital will house a Level I issues that have long been a part of the District. The Howard University Hospital will benefit from a Trauma Center, with a Level III Trauma Center at St. Eliz“We have a once in a generation opportunity to reopen $225 million tax abatement. Howard University and its abeth’s. These categories refer to the kinds of resources our city in a way that builds a more equitable DC,” Bowser new operating partner Adventist Healthcare will build the available on-site and the number of patients admitted ansaid, “and we should not let this opportunity pass us by.” new, $450 million, 225-bed, Level I trauma and academnually. A Level I trauma center should provide the highNew Hospitals, Health Services in Wards 7 and 8 ic teaching hospital, with plans to complete by 2026. The est level of care for trauma patients. A Level III center Bowser said these new agreements will help build a current Howard Hospital will remain open until the new does not have the full availhealth care system to address ability of specialists on site the needs of all residents, atbut has resources for emertack disparities, and make the gency treatment of most trauDistrict more resilient for fuma patients, as well as transture challenges. fer agreements with Level I The hospital slated for and II trauma centers. Barbathe St. Elizabeth East camra L. Bass, CEO of the GW pus in Ward 8 will be operMedical Faculty Associates, ated in partnership between said that GW anticipated that George Washington Univerthere would be surgical covsity and the District governerage at St. Elizabeth’s 24-7 ment and is expected to open once the facility opens. in 2024. A new Howard UniHoward University Presversity Hospital will be built ident Dr. Wayne Frederick, on Georgia Avenue NW in who is also a surgeon at the Ward 1. school’s hospital, said that the The packages also include new Howard University Hosa $69 million health services pital would help close health complex at St. Elizabeth’s, disparities in the District. funded by the District and ex“When you look at the numpected to open in Fall, 2023 as ber of black physicians in this well as two urgent care centers county, Howard University in Ward 7 and Ward 8, slatHoward University President and surgeon Wayne A.I. Frederick speaks at the April 30th press conference announcing plans for has produced more than anyed to open in Fall 2021 and two new District hospitals. Screenshot: DC Granicus one else,” Frederick said, say10
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