Washington, D.C leaders and community members, representatives from Universal Health Services (UHS), the George Washington (GW) School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS), and The GW Medical Faculty Associates (GW MFA), joined DC Mayor Muriel Bowser for the “Topping Out” ceremony on the new Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center, GW Health, June 22.
Traditionally a topping out ceremony commemorates the installation of the last structural element of a new building. At the event, participants were invited to sign the final beam to commemorate the construction milestone.
The new $403 million hospital complex, on track for completion in early 2025, will bring a state-of-the-art 136-bed, full-service hospital one of the city’s most medically underserved communities. With features including an ambulatory pavilion for physician offices, clinics, and community space; a 500-car garage; and a helipad for emergency transports, the 407,000 square foot medical center will be city’s first new inpatient facility in more than 20 years.
In her remarks, Mayor Bowser noted that the new hospital was a project that she promised to deliver to the citizens, in her very first speech as the mayor of the District. At the topping out ceremony, she thanked scores of people, including D.C. councilmembers and other D.C. staff members, UHS, GW, Turner Construction, and the many others who are contributing to development the new hospital complex.
UHS, which operates GW Hospital, will run the new facility, while the GW MFA and the GW SMHS will serve as the physician and academic arm of the new complex, with Children’s National Hospital offering pediatric care. GW will provide medical education, research, and technology to the new hospital and health services complex, creating an integrated, academic medical network. Cedar Hill will also expand opportunities for GW students and medical residents to provide care and to learn at this site.
"The new hospital is an important addition to the community, and at GW, we look forward to providing equitable health care for the citizens of the District, while also advancing the educational mission of the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences," said LaQuandra S. Nesbitt, MD, MPH, senior associate dean for population health sciences and health equity, Bicentennial Endowed Professor of Medicine and Health Sciences, and executive director for the Center for Population Health Sciences and Health Equity.
At the close of the event, the crowd of several hundred were invited to sign the steal beam that will be placed at the top of the building — commemorating this important milestone of the project. As the Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center, GW Health, “Tops Out” the project will continue to progress into a new, modern, integrated health care resource for the citizens of D.C. that will open in the Winter of 2025.
Visit the Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center, GW Health Website.
