Washington Health Care

Washington health care is one of the most advantageous in the United States. D.C. can be considered a national center for patient care and medical research. There is presently a total of sixteen medical centers and hospitals located inside the District of Columbia. There are several medical research centers in the Washington area as well, in particular the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland.

Some of these hospitals include the Washington Hospital Center (WHC) and Walter Reed Army Medical Center. WHC is the largest hospital campus in the District and is both the largest private and non-profit hospital in the Washington Metropolitan Area. The National Rehabilitation Hospital and Children's National Medical Center is right next to WHC, and is among the highest ranked pediatric hospitals in the country.

The Walter Reed Army Medical Center is a 5000 plus-bed hospital that cares for active-duty and retired personnel and their dependents from all branches of the US army. Because of a new Department of Defense base realignment plan, Walter Reed is scheduled to move shortly to a facility in Bethesda, Maryland near the National Naval Medical Center. Armed Forces veterans also receive care at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center on the grounds of the Old Soldier's Home in Washington.

Other notable hospitals are the Providence Hospital in Northeast D.C, the oldest hospital in continuous operation in the city, having been commissioned by Abraham Lincoln in 1861; the Specialty Hospital of Washington, a long-term acute care facility located near Capitol Hill; and its sister facility, the Hadley Memorial Hospital located in Southwest Washington; the Sibley Memorial Hospital in upper Northwest; the United Medical Center, which serves the population east of the Anacostia River; St. Elizabeth's Hospital, the first federally-funded institution for the mentally ill; Riverside Hospital and the Psychiatric Institute of Washington. Additionally, three universities in Washington, have medical schools and associated teaching hospitals, namely The George Washington University Medical Center, the Georgetown University Hospital and the Howard University Hospital.