Providence Health System is opening a new urgent care center on July 9 on the current campus of Providence in Northeast Washington, D.C., after recently receiving a certificate of need approval from the District’s State Health Planning and Development Agency. The Providence Urgent Care Center will operate seven days a week, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekends. The Providence Urgent Care Center is the first-ever urgent care center in Ward 5.
The Providence Urgent Care Center will provide treatment for a wide range of common, non-emergency illnesses. These services range from treating those suffering from the flu, strep throat, or asthma, to the treatment of sprains, strains, and broken bones, along with offering vaccinations, radiology and other lab services.
“Providence will continue to work toward meeting patient needs and addressing the social factors that influence a person’s health,” said Tamarah Duperval-Brownlee, the president and chief executive officer of Providence Health System and Chief Community Impact Officer for Ascension. “We look forward to serving our community by offering another way to access convenient, immediate medical care.”
Providence Hospital stopped offering emergency services on April 30, despite facing much opposition from the community. Ascension has said its decision to close the hospital was based both on declining patient volumes and on a desire to better respond to the district’s Community Health Needs Assessment of 2016.
Opponents of the hospital’s closure, including many religious leaders, argued it would further exacerbate socioeconomic and racial disparities in the city, as 87 percent of the hospital’s patients are insured through either Medicare or Medicaid and 82 percent of the hospital’s patients are African-American.
The 2016 Community Health Needs Assessment found that 23.8 percent of adults did not have an identified primary care provider. It also found that 10 percent of District residents reported delays in getting medical care because they could not get a timely appointment. Ascension believes providing urgent care services will help address these specific issues.
The Urgent Care Center is one part Ascension’s “healthy village vision” for the Providence campus. They intend to use the space to create a community of healthcare and non-healthcare partners supporting people and their well-being.
Providence continues to operate primary care services, skilled nursing care at Carroll Manor, outpatient behavioral health, care coordination for Medicaid beneficiaries through the My Health GPS program, and a retail pharmacy with access to free medications to those who need it most. To learn more about Providence’s transformation, visit ProvidenceHealthyVillage.org.
