Health Care
The adult population of the Washington metropolitan area is healthier than the nation as a whole, according to a 2001 study by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. For 19 of 27 health indicators, the Washington region is doing as well as or better than the national average. And for coronary heart disease deaths and mammography rates, this region already more than meets national targets for 2010. A 2003 study by Centrum and Sperling’s Best Places named Washington, D.C. America’s second-healthiest city. On some measures, however, the region appears less healthy than the nation. These include AIDS, sexually transmitted infections, binge drinking, firearms-related deaths, and low-birth-weight babies.
So it’s good to know that anyone seeking medical care in the Metro Washington area can find help literally right around the corner. In D.C. proper, you can’t travel more than a few blocks without encountering a hospital, medical clinic, or a building full of doctors’ offices.
The Nation’s Capital area is home to some of the world’s finest medical researchers and health care professionals, and four area hospitals are consistently ranked among the 100 best in America by U.S. News and World Report. Three of the four are Georgetown University Medical Center, Inova Fairfax Hospital, and Children’s National Medical Center. The one with the most stellar reputation, however, is Johns Hopkins University Hospital, about an hour away in Baltimore, Maryland. Though it may be a little farther, if you’re struck with a serious illness, it’s worth the drive. In many specialties, Hopkins is ranked number one by U.S. News and World Report surveys and is invariably in the top five.
Looking beyond Metro Washington and Maryland for a moment, there are two other acclaimed medical institutions: the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville and the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond.
This chapter, however, sticks closer to home and offers an overview of approximately 50 major hospitals and other medical facilities in Metro Washington, including the teaching and research hospitals affiliated with university medical schools that play a vital role in the training of future doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals. We’ve also included some mental health facilities and touched on the popular walk-in medical centers where minor illnesses and injuries can be quickly treated (see the Emergency Numbers listed toward the end of this chapter). One caveat: By the time you read this, some of the names may have changed because takeovers by large managed-care organizations are ongoing.
We have intentionally omitted a list of hospices, because physicians or hospitals generally refer patients after initial medical treatment. There are, however, more than a dozen in the Washington metro area, and they are easily found in the Yellow Pages or through physician referrals. Also, an excellent clearinghouse for information on hospices and their services is the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, 1700 Diagonal Road, Suite 625, Alexandria, VA, (703) 837-1500, www.nhpco.org. Don’t forget that all local governments offer community health clinics and other local treatment facilities, included in the government listings in the phone book.
City: Washington, DC
Category: Health Care
City: Washington, DC
Category: Health Care
Address: 3800 Reservoir Road NW
3. Greater Southeast Community Hospital
City: Washington, DC
Category: Health Care
Telephone: (202) 574-6000
Address: 1310 Southern Avenue SE
4. The Hospital For Sick Children
City: Washington, DC
Category: Health Care
Telephone: (202) 832-4400
Address: 1731 Bunker Hill Road NE
Description: The Hospital for Sick Children is another of the city’s smaller (131 beds) health care centers with a unique role: that of a pediatric “transitional care” facility—the only one of its kind in Metro Washington—that serves as a link between hospital and home. Here, the young patients are treated for respiratory and chronic illnesses and a host of other disabilities. Founded in 1883 as a “fresh air” summer home, the present facility opened in 1968. Services focus on a wide range of therapies, including physical, occupational, recreational, nutritional, respiratory, speech, and language.
City: Washington, DC
Category: Health Care
Address: 2041 Georgia Avenue NW
City: Washington, DC
Category: Health Care
Address: 102 Irving Street NW
City: Washington, DC
Category: Health Care
Address: 1150 Varnum Street NE
City: Washington, DC
Category: Health Care
Address: 5255 Loughboro Road NW
City: Washington, DC
Category: Health Care
Address: 110 Irving Street NW
10. Columbia-Fairfax Surgical Center
City: Washington, DC
Category: Health Care
Telephone: (703) 691-0670
Address: 10730 Main Street
Description: For outpatient surgical services without having to go to an actual hospital, many people opt for a facility such as Columbia-Fairfax Surgical Center, part of a national network. Offering what it calls “efficient, personal care in a pleasant atmosphere,” the center charges a single fee that covers basic medical history, equipment and most supplies, routine drugs and anesthetics, recovery room services, and operating room time. Be aware, though, that the price does not include the professional services of the surgeon or assistants, the anesthesiologist, radiologist, pathologist, physician consultants, and pharmacist.
11. Baltimore Washington Medicalcenter
City: Washington, DC
Category: Health Care
Telephone: (410) 787-4000
Address: 301 Hospital Drive
Description: This 286-bed nonprofit hospital focuses on short-term acute care and features a 24-hour emergency room with an immediate-care center for minor injuries and illnesses, and a center for severe trauma and injuries. Part of the University of Maryland Medical System, the hospital offers numerous outpatient support programs and services at various locations. The hospital opened the comprehensive Tate Cancer Center and Maryland Vascular Center in 2003.
12. Washington Adventist Hospital
City: Washington, DC
Category: Health Care
Telephone: (301) 891-7600
Address: 7600 Carroll Avenue
Description: Located in what is nearly a trijurisdictional city—Takoma Park is actually in Montgomery County but is very near the Prince George’s and District borders—this 292-bed, acute-care, church-affiliated facility has been in operation since 1907. Offering the most complete cardiology services in the county, Washington Adventist has been nationally recognized for innovative treatments in heart catheterization. The hospital’s open-heart surgery center performs more than 700 such procedures annually. Other services include inpatient and outpatient surgery, maternity, radiation oncology, emergency medicine, rehabilitation medicine, and pulmonary medicine. Mental health services are available on an inpatient or outpatient basis and include substance abuse programs.
13. The Psychiatric Institute Of Washington, D.C.
City: Washington, DC
Category: Health Care
Telephone: (202) 885-5600
Address: 4228 Wisconsin Avenue NW
Description: The first private psychiatric hospital in Washington, D.C., the 201-bed Psychiatric Institute of Washington was founded in 1967 and moved to its present location in 1973. The facility treats children, adolescents, and adults suffering from emotional and addictive illnesses and even offers an intensive care unit for especially serious cases. The hospital is acknowledged by the nation’s psychiatric community as an education and professional development center for mental-health specialists.
City: Washington, DC
Category: Health Care
Address: 2700 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE
15. Saint Luke Institute
City: Washington, DC
Category: Health Care
Telephone: (301) 445-7970
Address: 8901 New Hampshire Avenue
Description: This 35-bed, nonprofit psychiatric facility was founded by a minister/doctor and serves priests and other religious men and women active in church ministry. Initially treating only chemical dependency, St. Luke has broadened its focus to include mood disorders, compulsive eating or compulsive sexual behaviors, and reactive or chronic depression. The major areas of service are in evaluation, inpatient treatment, aftercare, residential living, outpatient therapy, and outreach.