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Center will be the First Pediatric ER Located East of the Anacostia River
Washington, D.C. – Yesterday, Councilmember David Catania (At-Large) helped open the Children’s National Medical Center (CNMC) Pediatric Emergency Department at United Medical Center (UMC). The new facility will be the first specialized pediatric emergency department located east of the Anacostia River, providing world-class care to the children of Wards 7 and 8. Catania joined Mayor Adrian Fenty, Chairman Vincent Gray, and representatives from UMC and CNMC to open the facility, which will see its first patient in September.
The new emergency pediatric center, which will be owned and operated by CNMC, will serve an anticipated 20,000 children per year. Previously, critically ill children brought to UMC had to be stabilized and then transported to the CNMC campus in Northwest. By co-locating CNMC at UMC, children from Wards 7 and 8 will receive immediate, high-quality emergency pediatric care directly in their community. The 10,800-square-foot department will also offer 24/7 availability and access to UMC’s state-of-the-art MRI, radiology, wound care, and angioplasty facilities.
“I am very proud of the role the Committee on Health played in conceptualizing and financing this project,” said Catania “The District is fortunate to be the home of Children’s National Medical Center–one of the best children’s hospitals in the world. In emergency situations, minutes matter. Thus, I am pleased that our parents who live east of the Anacostia Rive will no longer have to transport their child to Michigan Avenue, NW to access Children’s emergency room. Come September, they will have the option of obtaining the best emergency services available right in their own backyard.”
Funding for the center came from a partnership between the District and United Medical Center, as part of a $51 million District government initiative to enhance primary and emergency care in underserved District neighborhoods. In December 2008, the Mayor’s office, in consultation with Councilmember Catania, allocated $11 million to the construction of the emergency department, and UMC contributed the remaining $3 million.
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