Bowser Asks D.C. Council for $60 Million to Help Struggling Ward 8 Hospital Cedar Hill
WASHINGTON — Mayor Muriel Bowser has written to the Council of the District of Columbia asking for $60 million to help Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center, the hospital in Ward 8, remain viable. The hospital is run by Universal Health Services, with GW Health providing the doctors, and the District previously paid to help build it; the new money would deepen D.C.'s commitment.
In her letter, Bowser said the financial commitment "will not simply be a blank check." She said the hospital had already "rightsized its operating costs" and that ongoing reforms "have already begun improving the hospital's growth and financial stability." She also said Unity Health Care, a community health provider that operates clinics for low-income patients across the city, had agreed to take over the hospital's labor and delivery unit, creating a pathway from its clinics in Wards 7 and 8 to the hospital.
The Council must still approve the funding. Councilmember Christina Henderson said she wants to see Cedar Hill succeed but has questions about the trajectory of public support, and on Wednesday sent Bowser's aides a list of follow-up questions about the proposed commitment, including what metrics would show improvement. Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George will also vote on the request. Bowser's term as mayor ends in January.
Sources: Letter from the D.C. Mayor's Office to the Council; Washington Sun
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: Anacostia 河，华盛顿特区 Ward 8 一带。Anacostia River, Washington, D.C. Photo: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY
