The first urgent care center in Ward 8 opened on Oct. 10 as part of a multi-step plan to improve access to quality, timely health care for residents of Wards 7 and 8. 

Cedar Hill Urgent Care provides comprehensive urgent care to all District residents and is operated by the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences and Universal Health Services, a leading provider of hospital and health care services in the United States. The new urgent care center was built in an effort to serve the predominantly Black community living in Wards 7 and 8, which have lower life expectancies than communities in D.C. wards with predominantly white residents. 

Christine Searight, George Washington University Hospital’s Strategic Marketing director, said Ward 8 residents have historically lacked access to a variety of health care resources.

GW Health hopes the opening of Cedar Hill Urgent Care will remedy this inequity by making quality critical care more accessible to those living in Ward 8, according to Searight. 

“Over the past several years, we have been partnering with the Government of the District of Columbia to create a comprehensive healthcare system to better meet the needs of our region,” Searight wrote to the Hoya. “Opening Cedar Hill Urgent Care was the next step in creating a robust academic medical network which will enhance access, equity and outcomes in D.C., particularly within Wards 7 and 8.” 

According to Searight, Cedar Hill will give residents in Wards 7 and 8 access to timely care, as they will not have to travel to other wards to receive care. 

“Instead of visiting a hospital ER for everyday illnesses, a patient can visit an urgent care for faster service,” Searight wrote. “Our goal with creating this comprehensive network is to allow individuals to get the right care, at the right time and in the right location.” 

Expected to treat around 8,800 patients in its first year of opening, Cedar Hill has the capacity to handle a variety of emergencies including allergic reactions, broken bones, sinus infections and urinary tract infections. The health center will also be equipped to conduct basic lab work and X-ray imaging. 

Searight said GW Medical Faculty Associates will provide emergency care for adult patients and medical professionals from Children’s National Hospital will provide emergency care to pediatric patients.

The creation of Cedar Hill Urgent Care is part of the District’s larger plan to establish a comprehensive health care system to serve the residents of Wards 7 and 8. Once complete, the system will include two urgent care facilities, an ambulatory center for outpatient care and the new Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center, GW Health, for which construction has already begun.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D), who was present at the opening of Cedar Hill Urgent Care, said the center is a step in the right direction for bridging the health equity gap in the District, according to an Oct. 7 press release from the Mayor’s Office.

“It is not just about building one hospital — it is about the entire health care system,” Bowser said in the press release. “This new urgent care is a critical piece of that system.”

Searight said there is more work to be done to improve health care accessibility in Wards 7 and 8. 

“Our goal is to continue to develop a comprehensive health care system which provides more options to prospective patients,” Searight said.