FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: United Medical Center (UMC) to Cease Services and Close on April 15th at 11:59 PM
(Washington, DC) – Today, the Fiscal Management Board and Hospital Administration of United Medical Center (UMC) along with Children’s National Hospital, announced, “Safety First”, a regulatory approved and coordinated effort to safely wind-down patient services on the UMC Campus. As previously reported, UMC Hospital will cease all operations on Tuesday, April 15, 2025, at 11:59 pm. The nearby, privately operated, Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center GW Health, located at 1200 Pecan Street, SE, Washington, DC 20032, will open at midnight on April 15th. Any patients remaining at UMC on April 15th will be safely transferred to a hospital of their choice.
“Closing UMC after 60 years is an emotional and difficult task for all who have served here, yet, we are fortunate that with the opening of the privately operated, full-service, Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center GW Health, all District residents will have access to a new state-of-the-art, healthcare delivery system,” said Angell Jacobs, UMC Board Chair and Deputy Chief Financial Officer for the District. “Our entire team, along with our fellow hospitals and the District’s public safety and health agencies are committed to leading a safe, compassionate, coordinated, and regulatory compliant, wind-down and closure of UMC.” The Hospital has also coordinated with the Department of Behavioral Health to ensure the safe transition of any patient needing behavioral health services.
“It has been a privilege to care for children and families in our community at the Children’s National UMC Emergency Department,” said Joelle Simpson, MD, MPH, chief of the Division of Emergency Medicine at Children’s National. “As this chapter comes to a close, our commitment to providing compassionate, expert care remains as strong as ever. Our doctors will continue serving families in the pediatric emergency department at Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center GW Health, ensuring children receive the same trusted care they always have.”
The “Safety First” wind-down timeline and implementation plan are as follows:
April 1 at Midnight:
- UMC stops admitting new patients. The Emergency Department (ED) remains open.
- Any patient who arrives at the ED via walk-in, private vehicle, or transit and needs inpatient services (e.g. cannot be treated and released) will be transported to another regional hospital using the ambulances stationed 24/7 at UMC. These ambulances are dedicated to UMC through April 15.
- All EMS traffic from Maryland and District ambulances will transport 911 patients to other regional hospitals. This will safely reduce the volume of new patients at UMC.
April 1-15:
- Children’s National Emergency Department at UMC remains open.
- On April 15th at 11:00 am, the Children’s National Emergency Department at UMC will stop accepting patients.
- Beginning April 15th at 00:01AM, Children’s National will provide physician services at the new Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center Pediatric Emergency Department.
April 1-14:
- UMC continues to care for all existing adult inpatients.
- When medically appropriate, patients will be discharged.
- For patients who need continued care, individual care coordination plans will be established so they can be transferred to a health care facility of their choice that meets their care needs. These discussions have already begun with regional hospitals and Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center GW Health.
April 12:
- UMC’s adult Emergency Department will stop accepting all new patients. Any patient needing emergency or inpatient care will be transferred to another regional hospital with UMC’s dedicated ambulances.
April 15 from 12:01 am to 11:59 pm:
- Over a 24-hour period, UMC will transfer all remaining inpatients needing healthcare to a hospital of their choice via five dedicated ambulances.
The wind-down plan reflects a coordinated effort among UMC, regulators, and regional hospitals. “Working together and using lessons learned, DCHA members are committed to supporting the safe and equitable distribution of UMC patients over the next two weeks until Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center GW Health opens,” said Jacqueline D. Bowens, President and Chief Executive Officer of the District of Columbia Hospital Association. “Developed in partnership, Safety First focuses solely on the safe, timely, and clinically appropriate wind-down so that our patients’ needs are met,” said Dr. Jacqueline Payne-Borden, UMC Chief Executive Officer and Chief Nursing Officer, UMC’s outpatient services and specialty clinics closed in 2024 as part of the hospital’s approved closure plan.