D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced Wednesday night that two new hospitals are to be built in the District, one managed by Howard University and the other by Universal Health Services and George Washington University.
UHS and George Washington Medical Faculty Associates will operate a 136-bed hospital where the St. Elizabeths Hospital is in Ward 8 and the 225-bed Howard University Hospital will be on Georgia Ave. NW in Ward 1, according to a press release.
“While DC continues to battle this pandemic, our team has remained committed to delivering hope and a better DC through a more equitable health care system,” Miss Bowser said in a press release. “With these new agreements, we will deliver high quality, integrated care and transform our health care system by promoting equity in care, access, and outcomes. Together, we will build a health care system that meets the needs of all residents, attacks health disparities, and makes us more resilient for the challenges that lie ahead.”
After a cost of $306 million to the District, construction of the new hospital at St. Elizabeths will be complete around 2024 and the hospital is projected to be open that fall.
The District is also funding a $69 million dollar ambulatory center at the St. Elizabeths location which is expected to be complete in fall 2024.
What’s more, two new urgent care centers operated by UHS will open in Wards 7 and 8 by fall 2021 and spring 2022.
With a $225 million tax abatement from the District, Howard University, with its new partner Adventist Healthcare, are planning to build a “$450 million, 225-bed, Level I trauma and academic teaching hospital.”
District government is funding $25 million in infrastructure support and $26.5 million over the next six years support five “Centers of Excellence” at the hospital: sickle cell, women’s health, oral health, trauma and violence prevention, and substance abuse.
The District also committed to placing a government agency in one of the new hospital buildings near the Howard Hospital.
“”The role that Howard University Hospital plays in providing healthcare to the citizens of Washington, DC, and especially to those most vulnerable, is a sacred one,” said Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick, President of Howard University. “This partnership with the city to support building a new facility will strengthen Howard University’s healthcare system, which is important to preserve our mission to serve the community. Because of Howard’s role as the primary pipeline of African American healthcare professionals, this investment in the hospital is also an investment in the future of the healthcare profession and its diversity.”
• Sophie Kaplan can be reached at skaplan@washingtontimes.com.
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