Providence Health System to Continue Providing Emergency Services Through April 30, 2019

Business Wire

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Reflecting its continued commitment to the residents of the District of Columbia, Providence Health System will operate its Emergency Care Center with necessary support services through the current flu season. The Emergency Care Center will remain open through April 30, 2019 and supported by services needed for emergency care, including lab, diagnostic imaging, respiratory care, discharge planning, and other ancillary services and support. All other Providence services not necessary to support the Emergency Care Center will end as planned on December 14, 2018. Providence will continue to provide services at Carroll Manor as well as primary care and outpatient behavioral health related services.

“This decision reflects our ongoing commitment to serving the needs of the community and was reached following conversations with our internal team, elected officials, the Department of Health, the DC Hospital Association and members of the community,” said Patricia A. Maryland, Dr.PH, Executive Vice President, Ascension, and President and Chief Executive Officer, Ascension Healthcare, the care delivery division of Ascension.

“To support the provision of emergency care, we will continue to provide an appropriate level of supporting services, such as laboratory, imaging and inpatient beds through the end of April,” said Keith Vander Kolk, Providence Health System President and CEO.

“Providence and Ascension remain committed to the District and are pleased to be able to respond to the community need for this extended period,” Dr. Maryland said. “We continue to build a new vision for the future and look forward to partnering with key local leaders in collaboratively building those plans.”

Providence Health System has been engaged in discussions with key local leaders, in addition to examining public and private data to thoughtfully understand and explore how it can best meet the evolving health needs of the District. As Providence embarks on this innovative approach to improve the health of the community, its focus will be inclusive of both health and services not traditionally considered part of healthcare but that have an impact on the health of individuals and communities.

“Changing the focus to providing preventive health and wellness services in collaboration with the community marks a new phase in Providence’s commitment,” said Dr. Maryland. “We want to truly improve the health and well-being of all persons in the community by taking a greater and more active role in their overall healthcare.”

“With that being the case, we will be transforming the services Providence provides with a focus on the specific needs of the community, including primary and behavioral health, senior living and health services, community outreach and engagement; and access to care,” Dr. Maryland said. “We will build on our longstanding history of servicing the District’s health needs by redeploying our resources, and we are committed to investing upwards of $30 million in the future of Providence.”

About Ascension

Ascension (www.ascension.org) is a faith-based healthcare organization dedicated to transformation through innovation across the continuum of care. As the largest non-profit health system in the U.S. and the world’s largest Catholic health system, Ascension is committed to delivering compassionate, personalized care to all, with special attention to persons living in poverty and those most vulnerable. In FY2018, Ascension provided nearly $2 billion in care of persons living in poverty and other community benefit programs. Ascension includes approximately 156,000 associates and 34,000 aligned providers. Ascension’s Healthcare Division operates more than 2,600 sites of care – including 151 hospitals and more than 50 senior living facilities – in 21 states and the District of Columbia, while its Solutions Division provides a variety of services and solutions including physician practice management, venture capital investing, investment management, biomedical engineering, facilities management, clinical care management, information services, risk management, and contracting through Ascension’s own group purchasing organization.