On Oct. 7, District oficials and representatives from Universal Health Services (UHS) cut the ribbon on the new Cedar Hill Urgent Care, GW Health (2228 Martin Luther King Jr Ave. SE).
Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Robin McKinney (8A06) said that the urgent care center was part of a transformation on the corridor that was bringing prosperity to the residents of Anacostia and the area.
Owned and operated by UHS and in partnership with the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences and the GW Medical Faculty Associates, the $1.8 million full-service urgent care will provide comprehensive services for a wide range of illnesses.
Cedar Hill Urgent Care, GW Health is the first location to open as part of a partnership between the District and UHS to create a comprehensive system of healthcare serving communities east of the Anacostia River.
When complete, the system will include the two urgent care facilities, an ambulatory center, and the new Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center. The new facility is located on the ground floor of the Mapleview Flats building, will open its doors to patients on Monday, Oct. 10. The urgent care center will be open seven days a week, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Vice President UHS DC Region and Chief Executive Officer of GW Hospital Kimberly Russo said the center treats non-emergency cases, like broken bones, ear infections, sprains, cuts, asthma, colds, sore throats and urinary tract infections. It will also provide basic lab and x-ray services.
Previously, residents in the area with non-emergency health concern might have had to travel to other areas of the city for treatment; others went to hospital emergency rooms. The clinic helps to fill the gap in care.
The first urgent care clinic in Ward 7, MBI Urgent Care, officially opened on March 31, 2022, at 5140 Nanny Burroughs Ave. NE. A second urgent care facility affiliated with the new Cedar Hill Medical system is expected to open in Ward 7 in 2023.
“We were very proud, earlier this year, to break ground on the new Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center, but we also know that it is not just about building one hospital – it is about the entire health care system. This new urgent care is a critical piece of that system,” said Mayor Muriel Bowser (D), thanking Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White, Sr. and former Mayor and Ward 7 Councilmember Vincent Gray (D) in her remarks. “The new urgent care facility will help ensure more Washingtonians are getting the right care at the right place at the right time.”
Gray said it was an auspicious day that took years of work. “Let’s all recognize that when we cut the ribbon tonight that we’re opening the door of opportunity for so many people who just haven’t had the chance to have these services available,” Gray said. “We’ve had the service of United Medical Center and others available, but we know that we can do better than that. Can’t we do better than that?” he asked, to applause.
“Providing access to high-quality health care to all citizens of the District is a 200-year tradition for GW,” said Barbara L. Bass, MD, who is CEO of the GW Medical Faculty Associates. “In this new urgent care facility, we will have the ability to provide convenient, on-the-spot care to our patients and partner with our neighbors to improve the health and wellness of our great city.”
Councilmember White, Sr. said the clinic helps to show residents of Ward 7 and 8 that they are valued. “We live in the east end of the city, where the divide between the haves and the have nots has been increasingly getting wider. This is an efffort on behalf of the government to close that gap,” White said. “Our residents have long awaited for the same access to amentiies as the rest of the city, and today is the day.”
The facility is a critical intervention for the area, White added, noting that many residents of Wards 7 and 8 do not interact with healh facilities until they need to go to the hospital, exaserbating health problems and maternal mortality. “In moments like this we realize that doors are opening to a future that is getting brighter and brighter for those who are left out of the equation.”
