The George Washington University Hospital (GWUH) is a for-profit hospital in Washington, D.C., affiliated with the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. Since 2022, the George Washington University Hospital has been 100% owned and operated by Universal Health Services, though it maintains significant ties to George Washington University. The current 400,000 sq ft (37,200 m2) facility opened on August 23, 2002. It has 371 beds, holds more than $45 million of medical equipment, and costs over $96 million to construct. The hospital is licensed by the District of Columbia Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs and accredited by the U.S. Joint Commission.

History

Founded in 1824 as a medical department in Columbian College (now called the George Washington University), the GW Medical School was the 11th in the United States and the first in the nation's capital.

Services

Emergency medicine

At George Washington University, the Ronald Reagan Institute of Emergency Medicine was established in 1991. The department cares for nearly 85,000 patients each year, including serious injuries, as a level 1 trauma center. GW's emergency department consists of:

Center for trauma and critical care

The George Washington University Hospital is an ACS verified level I trauma center GWUH receives the most critically-injured trauma patients from Washington, D.C., and the Northern Virginia area, as well as hospital transfers from Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia. In 2018, the hospital was approved to construct a helipad after a many year battle to change a DC law prohibiting the construction of new helipads. The addition of this ability to receive helicopters greatly shortens the time needed to transfer critically ill patients from another hospital, or directly from an emergency scene, to receive the highest level of care for critically ill patients.

Cardiovascular center

GWUH is home to a comprehensive program for advanced treatment of heart disease and vascular disorders, noninvasive diagnostics, 24-hour interventional cardiologist and cath lab, cardiac catheterization, heart rhythm disorders and treatments and cardiovascular surgery.

Comprehensive stroke center

GWUH is home to a comprehensive stroke center offering 24-hour acute stroke services treating ischemic strokes, hemorrhagic strokes, and subarachnoid hemorrhages. Coverage for acute endovascular treatments, neurosurgical procedures, and thrombolytics is provided around the clock. Stroke care is provided via a team-based approach with teams composed of vascular neurologists, neurointerventionalists, neurosurgeons, intensivists, neuroradiologists, physiatrists, and other specialists as determined by patient requirements. GW hospital houses an acute rehabilitation unit, thus allowing stroke victims to receive all of their care in one location.