Children's National Hospital wants to move

[Anonymous]

Just rebuild the parking area. Not sure what can be done temporarily tho for those who need to park if they were to rebuild the parking. Shuttle buses from another lot? Where? Can they add another floor to the hospital for more hospital space? Maybe they are trying to expand the VA or WHC buildings by taking Children's? Is the Target store area around 14th street a possible site to where Children's could relocate?

[Anonymous]

Could they go to the old Providence Hospital site?

[Anonymous]

Why does anyone except the private business get to decide where they locate?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:public transportation is important but so is parking. How many people take the metro with a sick child? Not many.

As a parent who had a kid with a chronic illness who visited Children's by public transportation at least once a week throughout the first 3 years of their life, I can tell you that there are many families riding the metro and shuttle bus every day. There are also plenty of people coming in for services that aren't related to being "sick". Children's has primary care clinics, therapy clinics, a WIC location etc . . .

Not to mention the people who work there.

[Anonymous]

I had a child who spent much of his (short) life at Children’s. It was a pain to get to from Arlington a parking was a nightmare. It’s not because it’s in the city—it’s because it doesn’t have good transportation access, which a regional hospital like that needs. It seems that a location off of 395 or 695 (or even 295 if near the Southeast Freeway) would be ideal—you could access it from both Maryland and Virginia and it could still be centrally located in the city. I also agree that Metro access would be really helpful. Perhaps someplace along the green line near the Navy Yard or even the Anacostia station?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, they should be required to stay at the location in NE. DC is full and the satellite location in Ward 4, at the Walter Reed location.

How could you require a hospital to stay somewhere? They actually can’t stay at their current site though. It needs a ton of work — so much that it couldn’t be even close to fully operational during it — and it needs to expand. RFK and Walter Reed are the two sites they’ve most explored.

[Anonymous]

They had a reduction in force last year big enough to make the Washington Post and they can afford this?

[Anonymous]

Haven’t read the whole chain but what about one of the federal buildings in the district that GSA is offloading?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They had a reduction in force last year big enough to make the Washington Post and they can afford this?

Leases cost money.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Folks, it's stressful to get to the current location from certain parts of town.

Wherever they move will have the same problem.

People who live close to the current location do not find it hard to get there. If you live in Petworth, Brookland, Capitol Hill, etc., the current location is pretty great. If you live across the river or Georgetown, it's a pain. But moving it to another neighborhood doesn't solve this problem, it just shifts who it is convenient for and who it's not convenient for.

Also the people complaining about the difficulty of reaching the current location and the parking garage in the same breath are working at cross purposes. A more central location would make it more accessible by public transit, but would likely make parking even worse than it currently is. You also have to think about emergency vehicle traffic -- the current location can be a pain to drive to but there are advantages of being near the junction of two major thoroughfares with multiple lanes, because it makes it easier for ambulances to get to there.

One of the major features of Children's is that it is the only Trauma 1 level children's ER in the entire region. So ER accessibility is really important, more so than access to specialists, sadly for those of us whose kids need to see specialists there frequently!

Hospital location can be really difficult. I am not sure I can think of a site elsewhere in the city that is obviously superior to their current site, even though I totally understand what is not ideal about the current site.

Is INOVA Childrens in Fairfax not Level 1 Trauma? (I'm unsure).

Inova Fairfax Hospital is a Level 1 Trauma center and handles all ages.

Childrens is the only local Level 1 Trauma that only serves pediatric patients.

INOVA Fairfax has a pediatrics- only ER as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Should move out to Largo Town Center to be more accessible.

To whom?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Haven’t read the whole chain but what about one of the federal buildings in the district that GSA is offloading?

Actually, right near L'Enfant Plaza would be brilliant. The Trump admin is trying to sell multiple buildings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They had a reduction in force last year big enough to make the Washington Post and they can afford this?

I guarantee they will be asking for both federal and District subsidies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why does anyone except the private business get to decide where they locate?

(Washington, DC) – Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced that the District of Columbia and Children’s National Hospital have reached an exclusive one-year agreement to evaluate sites for a new hospital campus within the District. To support this effort, the Mayor has proposed $1 million in her FY26 Supplemental Budget to fund comprehensive site assessments and due diligence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why does anyone except the private business get to decide where they locate?

(Washington, DC) – Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced that the District of Columbia and Children’s National Hospital have reached an exclusive one-year agreement to evaluate sites for a new hospital campus within the District. To support this effort, the Mayor has proposed $1 million in her FY26 Supplemental Budget to fund comprehensive site assessments and due diligence.

Ha ha ha. The mayor is going to spend $1 million to help a private business evaluate potential sites. No guarantees about which, if any, site is chosen. If she didn't spend this money, the hospital would still do the same evaluations.

Want the business to stay? Offer a $1 million tax break.