District of Columbia General Hospital
| District of Columbia General Hospital | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Geography | |
| Location | 1900 Massachusetts Ave. SE, Washington, D.C., United States |
| Coordinates | 38°53′7.70″N 76°58′27.96″W / 38.8854722°N 76.9744333°W |
| Organization | |
| Type | Public hospital |
| History | |
| Opened | 1806 |
| Closed | 2001 |
| Links | |
| Lists | Hospitals in Washington, D.C. |
The District of Columbia General Hospital was a hospital located in Washington, D.C. It was operational from 1806 to its controversial closing by mayor Anthony A. Williams in 2001, as the city was trying to cut costs while recovering from bankruptcy. At the time of its closure, it was the only public hospital located within the District.
History
The hospital was founded as the Washington Infirmary in 1806, using a $2,000 grant from
Washington City Paper described the hospital in 1994 as a "city poorhouse" that "provided de facto universal health care to the residents of the District... typically, only people with no alternative."[1]
Post-closure
Shortly after its closure, the facility was used as a homeless shelter, with a capacity of around 270 families.[3]
In 2014, 8-year old
In 2016, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced a plan to replace the D.C. General shelter with six smaller facilities located around the city while transitioning families to subsidized housing. D.C. General was officially closed by Mayor Bowser on October 30, 2018.[6]
Reservation 13, the area encompassing the hospital site, was offered as part of Washington's bid to host Amazon HQ2.[7]
External links
References
- ^ a b c d Gifford, Bill (December 9, 1994). "The Curse of D.C. General". Washington City Paper. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
- ^ Fenston, Jacob (November 5, 2014). "From Public Hospital To Homeless Shelter: The Long History Of D.C. General". WAMU.
- ^ Austermuhle, Martin (July 10, 2018). "What's Happening With Mayor Bowser's Plan To Close The D.C. General Homeless Shelter?". WAMU. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
- ^ "Timeline: Disappearance of Relisha Rudd". The Washington Post. October 31, 2015. Archived from the original on June 16, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2016.
- ^ Washington Post Editorial Board (July 28, 2018). "Opinion | When a shelter fails homeless people this badly, destroy it". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
- ^ Nirappil, Fenit (October 30, 2018). "D.C. General, the city's troubled megashelter for homeless families, finally closes". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
- Washington Business Journal. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
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