(Washington, DC) – Today, Mayor Bowser announced that her Administration has submitted its initial design for the new full-service hospital at St. Elizabeths East to the United States Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) for review. The $375 million facility, being built in partnership with Universal Health Services (UHS), is scheduled to break ground early next year and open in late 2024. This submission is a critical next step for the project, and the District and its partners look forward to working closely with the CFA to create a design that respects the unique character of the historic campus and is welcoming and accessible to residents receiving health, wellness, and hospital services.
“With each of these milestones, we get closer to transforming our health care system and delivering a state-of-the-art hospital that advances health equity and makes our community more resilient for the challenges that lie ahead,” said Mayor Bowser. “We are proud of this initial design and now look forward to the review process.”
“We are thrilled to be taking this next step in advancing our efforts to bring vital healthcare services to our nation’s capital,” says Kimberly Russo, Group Vice President of the Washington, DC Region for UHS and Chief Executive Officer of The George Washington University Hospital. “We look forward to developing a facility that will offer high quality, compassionate care, while helping to create an integrated, academic medical network that will improve health equity, access and outcomes for DC residents.”
The 136-bed full-service hospital, which will have the ability to expand, will provide a complete range of inpatient services to all District residents, including newborn delivery, maternal health and women’s services, a verified trauma center, general surgery, behavioral health, and pediatric and adult emergency services. Included in the project is a health services complex (ambulatory center) at St. Elizabeths that will provide outpatient services and follow-up visits to patients. Two new urgent care centers, one in Ward 8 and one in Ward 7, will open in the winter of 2021 and the winter of 2022 respectively. This investment will be a part of Universal Health Services’ $75 million contribution to the project.
The new hospital is being built on the historic St. Elizabeths East campus, which is home to the Entertainment & Sports Arena and our WNBA Champion Washington Mystics, new apartments, townhomes, and the future headquarters of Whitman-Walker Health.
“Mayor Bowser has challenged us to improve the quality of life and provide opportunities for our residents, and the new full-service hospital will do just that,” said Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development John Falcicchio. “This is a critical next step as we continue to thoughtfully develop St. Elizabeths so that it reflects the interests and needs of the Congress Heights community.”
Once the new hospital at St. Elizabeths is open to patients, the United Medical Center will close through the established DC Health regulatory process for closing inpatient facilities. The District’s hospital design team includes Universal Health Services, HOK McKissack & McKissack, and Turner and MCN Construction.