Southeast Washington has had a rough time over the past few years. Politicians and residents were up in arms when Mayor Anthony Williams announced the closure of D.C. General Hospital, one of two full-service hospitals in the District’s poorest quadrant in 2001. In return, he promised a new medical system to give the working poor access to other facilities. But last year, the situation deteriorated further when the area’s other hospital, Southeast Community Hospital, went bankrupt and lost its accreditation.
To be fair to Mayor Williams, the closure of essential medical services in Southeast is a symptom of a larger problem in the entire American health care system, which can hardly be addressed by a city mayor. Fortunately, a solution is on the horizon, and even Williams’ greatest critics are optimistic.
Late last week, Williams gave public support to a plan that would allow Howard University to move a large portion of its existing hospital in Northwest to the site near D.C. General.
The plan has several benefits apart from the obvious improvement in health access for the residents of Southeast. Prince George’s County, Md. hospitals and other facilities have had to compensate for District closures by taking more patients, so these hospitals applaud the idea. Many Southeast residents lack medical insurance coverage, and hospitals are required by law to treat them regardless of the risk that they will not be reimbursed for their services.
The other primary benefit of a new hospital is economic. The Washington Post reports that Williams has been planning a revival of the area around D.C. General with new housing units and commercial space as well as extended roadways towards the Anacostia River. The return of essential services such as hospitals would serve as a catalyst for further development in the area.
However, the project could take as much as four years and $175 million to complete according to Howard University officials, and in that time there is a lot that could go wrong. Howard’s plans to open a hospital in Southeast seem almost too good to be true, but its widespread support may deliver this vision to an area in desperate need of a break. Williams’ announcement is hopefully the first of many steps towards rebuilding social services in Southeast.
