February 20, 2001
"I believe every person in this city should have access to preventative health care in their neighborhoods and other inpatient, specialty, and emergency services–whether or not they have health insurance." – Mayor Anthony A. Williams
Health Care Reform in the District: Investing in People
| Quality health care speaks all languages, knows no boundaries, and respects all cultures. |
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MEETING THE HEALTH CARE NEEDS OF OUR RESIDENTS -- On Saturday, February 12th, District leaders accepted the recommendation to begin moving to a new, community-based health care system. Designed to strengthen the District's safety net for its most vulnerable residents, this health care system expands access to the full range of quality medical services by combining public oversight with private health care delivery.
For more than 100 years, the District's working poor and individuals without health insurance have turned to DC General Hospital. Despite the long record of service provided by this hospital, key health indicators in the District are abysmal. The District's infant mortality rates and low birth weights are almost twice as high as the national average. The life expectancy for an African American man living in the city is 57 years, compared with 67 years nationally. More than twice as many older District residents die because of a diabetes-related complication than in the rest of the country. The mortality rate due to cancer and heart disease is significantly higher in the District than across the nation.
The burden of disease falls most heavily on the poor and the uninsured. The impact of untreated health conditions is most evident in the District's low-income African American and ethnic communities.
By increasing access to quality primary care in our neighborhoods, we will fundamentally change the health of our people. Our residents, especially low-income and working poor families, should have family doctors who know their families. They should have caring nurses and medical technicians who treat them with dignity and respect. They should have health care providers dedicated to keeping them healthy, not just to treating them during a medical crisis.
Mayor Williams and the District Government are working to create a public-private partnership to strengthen the safety-net system, which ensures that all citizens receive quality health care services. The Mayor's overall objective is to ensure that all District residents have access to primary care and other needed health services–regardless of their insurance status or ability to pay–from health centers located in their neighborhoods.
A PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP TO IMPROVE CARE -- According to the proposal, the DC-Washington Alliance for Community Health would become responsible for providing all of the medical services now available at DC General Hospital. The DC-Washington Alliance has an experienced, day-to-day management team with proven ability to turn around troubled organizations and a proven track record in serving the District's most needy.
ACCESS TO TRAUMA CARE -- We must continue to provide quality trauma care for residents. DC General Hospital has a fine reputation for treating the most severe trauma patients. In addition to DC General, the District has five trauma centers that provide excellent care for residents. A critical part of the new health delivery system is timely access to trauma care for all District residents. This will be accomplished by expanding trauma capabilities at Greater Southeast Community Hospital, located in southeast Washington, and/or through contractual agreements with the existing trauma centers throughout the city.
The District's Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department stands ready to deploy five full emergency service units to serve the communities surrounding DC General Hospital. We will place two 24-hour transport units on-site at DC General Hospital, which are dedicated to coverage on the DC General campus. In addition, three 24-hour transport units will be placed at engine companies in Southeast–at Engine Companies 30, 32, and 33. To staff these five emergency service units, the District is currently hiring 75 trained emergency medical technicians. To maintain quality emergency services throughout the entire city, the District purchased 15 new ambulances, which will be delivered by the middle of April.
PREPARING FOR THE TRANSITION -- Ten city agencies are working together to ensure a smooth transition for DC General Hospital clients. The Williams Administration is taking these steps to ensure the necessary medical and administrative support is in place to transfer patients and records. During the transition period, the Department of Health will be on-site at DC General to ensure that quality services continue to be provided and residents' needs are met.
AFTER THE TRANSITION -- Once the transition occurs, the Department of Health (DOH) will:
- manage the contract to ensure that the integrated, comprehensive health system delivers quality inpatient, specialty, diagnostic, and primary care to the District's uninsured residents;
- use the information gained from this partnership to guide Medicaid coverage expansion;
- continue to work closely with the District's Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department to ensure that the emergency response system improves;
- ensure that an increasing number of health centers and other health providers located in neighborhoods across the District are certified by the Department of Health, meet DOH-established standards of care, and provide this care in healthy, friendly environments;
- manage the delivery of health care and health education services to students in the District's public schools; and
- work with public and private health care partners to establish an integrated health care campus on the grounds of the current DC General Hospital that includes the delivery of medical services, public health management, and health education.
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