District officials announced plans to expand the Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center in a news release Wednesday.
Universal Health Services, which owns the majority share of the GW Hospital, will invest $17 million in the Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center, a medical facility under construction in Southeast D.C. The new funds will add a fourth floor to the building that will accommodate 48 additional patient beds, academic medicine and pediatric facilities, a newborn delivery unit and a certified trauma center, according to a release.
“Our investment in Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center, GW Health continues to demonstrate UHS’ commitment to providing a wide array of critical healthcare services East of the Anacostia River,” GW Hospital Chief Executive Officer Kimberly Russo said in the release. “This $17 million UHS contribution is earmarked for the hospital’s expansion, strategically focused on addressing the needs of the community by providing additional space for expanded diagnostic and patient treatment areas.”
University officials announced their plans in May to sell its minority stake in the GW Hospital for $54 million, most of which will be directed toward new professorships within GW’s academic medical enterprise. UHS representatives said at a public hearing with DC Health that the Cedar Hill hospital will be integrated into the GW Hospital and would be included in the hospital sale.
Cedar Hill’s academic faculty, physicians and practitioners will be “provided by” the School of Medicine and Health Sciences and the Medical Faculty Associates despite GW not planning on having an ownership stake in the hospital, according to the release.
The release states that officials plan to open the Cedar Hill facility, which is currently under construction, by early 2025. The release also states that with the new funds, the Ward 8 facility plans to open with 184 total beds.
“With Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center, GW Health, we are delivering the hospital our community deserves,” Mayor Muriel Bowser said in a release. “At every stage of planning this new hospital, we have been limitless in our vision for how we can build a healthier and more equitable DC. Now, we are giving that vision even more room to grow so that no matter what comes our way in the future, our state-of-the-art hospital in Ward 8 will be ready to support the needs of our community.”
