Officials say the facility will provide access to treatment for a range of minor health problems, including asthma, colds, sore throats and urinary tract infections. In the past, residents of areas facing these problems may have had to travel to other parts of the city or even go to a hospital or emergency room for treatment.
D.C. Council member Trayon White Sr. (D-Ward 8) said the lack of such facilities has created a “huge imbalance” in the district’s healthcare system, exacerbating problems such as infant mortality. said. In the 7th and 8th wards highest infant mortality rate in the city.
“The emergency care center will meet the immediate need for residents to focus on things that don’t require them to go to the hospital,” White said. “Our residents have long waited for access to the same facilities as the rest of the city. Access to healthcare is a basic human right.”
The $1.8 million full-service care center is part of a larger hospital system slated to arrive east of the Anacostia River. Earlier this year, city officials Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center, GW Health DC Mayor Muriel E. Bowser, a Democrat, said the city is seeking a location for a second emergency care center as part of its larger project. This also includes an outpatient center with a doctor’s office. It also aims to provide stronger medical services to communities east of the Anacostia River.
Bowser estimates that Ward 8’s new emergency care center will serve 9,000 residents annually.
“Patients can get x-rays and blood work. “This emergency care center is what the community has been asking for.”
Barbara Bass CEO GW Medical School Associatessaid emergency care centers accept all insurance, even if they don’t have it, and “never turn anyone away.” Offered by GW Medical Faculty Associates and GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences.
Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center, GW Health, is set to open in early 2025, replacing United Medical Center, which has been plagued with infectious diseases for decades. financial problems and mismanagementA second emergency care facility will open in Ward 7 in 2024.
“For the first time, we are building a true health care system on the eastern edge of the district,” said DC Council member Vincent C. Gray (D-Ward 7). “We are opening up to so many people who never had the chance to get these services. We could have used United Medical Center and others, but we know we can do more than that.” .
