For years, Jaren Hill Lockridge, in collaboration with Dreaming Out Loud and Ward 8 Health Council, has worked to improve health outcomes for Black expectant mothers, seniors and all others living in a part of the District that’s only now starting to see the elements of a quality healthcare system.
Earlier this week, Hill Lockridge and several others who gathered in the middle of the Washington Mystics’ home court listened as D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) revealed the date for the launch of a new state-of-the-art hospital on St. Elizabeths East Campus. Perhaps more relevant to her mission, Hill Lockridge also learned about a partnership that Events DC entered with CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield to bring preventative healthcare resources to the campus, while increasing activity in the sporting and concert venue long caught up in Capital One Arena’s shadow.
Further, what was the Entertainment and Sports Arena will now be CareFirst Arena, merging the interests of advancing health care and amusement opportunities in the District.
Hill Lockridge, a Ward 8 resident, extolled the $2 million partnership as a step in the right direction for Wards 7 and 8 residents, and grassroots entities that have long had boots on the ground in the community.
“I’m really interested in supporting the people who are doing the work, not those trying to plant flags in places and spaces they haven’t been,” said Hill Lockridge, chair of the Ward 8 Health Council and director of strategic partnerships at Dreaming Out Loud. “Where I will give CareFirst some credit is their track record of being in the community and investing in work for a while. They’ve learned some things along the way as we have. I hope the $2 million will be able to continue to resourcing people in the community doing the work.”
CareFirst and Events DC’s 10-year partnership aims to center those tackling and grappling with, among other issues, maternal health, food insecurity and workforce development. Through this arrangement, the nonprofit healthcare provider will also dispatch a mobile clinic to provide residents primary care and bloodwork, free of charge based on federal income requirements.
Though Hill Lockridge, a proponent of food sovereignty, gave her kudos to CareFirst, she questioned the degree to which the partnership will boost Ward 7 and Ward 8 residents’ access to healthy foods. “I didn’t really hear much about food and food sovereignty in the announcement. It doesn’t mean none of those things won’t be funded,” Hill Lockridge told The Informer. “Anybody who’s trying to move food through in a food sovereign way realizes it’s a long-term investment.”
As it relates to long-term investments, Hil Lockridge called on private and public partners to support CareFirst’s efforts, which she called a small part of what’s truly needed for residents east of the Anacostia River.
“The magic number is $2 billion,” Hill Lockridge told The Informer. “If we have $400 million in the new hospital, and that’s only 20% of the healthcare landscape, where’s the other 80%? Where’s that comprehensive healthcare landscape and where can we see that through a place-based approach in Ward 8? It doesn’t have to be in these big institutions, but through grants and different opportunities the community can access.”
An Opportunity to Raise St. Elizabeth Campus’ Profile Even Higher
Events DC’s partnership with CareFirst represents the latest chapter in the Bowser administration’s long-term development of St. Elizabeths Campus.
These days, residents and visitors can patronize a slew of Black-owned businesses at Sycamore & Oak. Other parts of the campus include the Whitman-Walker Max Robinson Center, R.I.S.E. Demonstration Center, and Gateway D.C. pavilion.
Residents have also been able to live in several units of affordable housing located near Congress Heights Metro Station and Suitland Parkway — albeit not without some issues.
Then there’s CareFirst Arena — the new name of what was once known as Entertainment & Sports Arena.
Since 2018, this sporting and concert venue has hosted the Mystics and local NBA G-League team Capital City Go-Go. It continues to serve as the practice facility for the Washington Wizards and epicenter of entertainment in Congress Heights.
Upcoming events at CareFirst Arena will feature R&B artists Trey Songz and Tamar Braxton, as well as a new generation of WWE wrestling superstars.
Last year, more than 107,000 people attended 66 games, concerts, community events and fairs at CareFirst Arena — somewhat of a far cry from the more than 200 events that attracted multitudes of people to Capital One Arena more than six miles away. After Bowser and Ted Leonsis reached an agreement to keep Monumental Sports and Entertainment in Capital One Arena, Ward 8 residents, some of whom worked at CareFirst Arena, expressed concern about what would become of their neighborhood venue. They were particularly worried since the Washington Mystics, in the midst of a female professional basketball renaissance, would also be having some of their more popular matchups in Gallery Place-Chinatown.
On Feb. 6, Bowser delved into the year-long endeavor she and Events DC Executive Director Angie M. Gates are on to attract private investment in CareFirst Arena. She acknowledged members of her executive team, past and present, including Brian Kenner, who, as a deputy mayor for planning and economic development, articulated his vision for a sports arena on St. Elizabeths East Campus.
Their efforts, and that of others in her administration, Bowser said, led to an outcome of great benefit to District residents.
“It’s important that we know our partnerships are with trusted partners,” Bowser told the audience on Feb. 6. “CareFirst will be that partner for years to come. They’ve done their due diligence with us. We did our due diligence with them. It wasn’t that hard.”
Bowser later joined Gates, Events DC Board Member Monica Ray, CareFirst President and CEO Brian D. Pieninck, Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Nina Albert, D.C. Councilmembers Kenyan McDuffie (I-At large), Christina Henderson (I-At large), and Wendell Felder (D-Ward 7), and several others in the unveiling of a new, black glossy CareFirst logo imprinted on the hardwood maple court.
Gates assured dozens of advisory neighborhood commissioners, D.C. government personnel, students and community members that the new partnership with CareFirst will diversify the arena’s offerings and increase foot traffic.
“We want to activate this campus while making a community impact,” Gates told celebrants as she stood in the very facility where, last month, D.C. residents commemorated the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday. “It was important to go beyond the name [CareFirst]. I’m looking forward to what we will accomplish for D.C. residents.”
Gates later explained to The Informer what she described as a strategy to ensure as many residents as possible know about and utilize the healthcare offerings.
“We’re taking our action out into the community and focusing on partnerships in maternal health, workforce training and health and wellness,” Gates said. “There are a lot of community activations. We will do deep dives with our communications team and we’ll have information on our site.”
The Bigger Picture: Closing the Healthcare Gap
Data shows the life expectancy of Ward 7 and 8 residents to be at least 15 years less than that of white residents living in Northwest, due to higher rates of gun violence, less access to affordable, healthy foods, high concentration of housing insecurity, and historic lack of investment in majority-Black communities.
Black expectant mothers also face challenges with inadequate prenatal care and lack of hospital-level obstetric services, which Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center is slated to provide upon its April 15 launch. Although the hospital has been deemed a crucial tool in closing the healthcare gap in Wards 7 and 8, some people, like Pieninck, call prevention their North Star.
“It’s food security, housing security, public transportation, the things we will invest in with partners. Hospitals are important but if we do our jobs, people will not be using them,” Pieninck said on Feb. 6 as he described his vision. “We need to create access points… There are over 100 people joining us. Last year, the organization committed more than 89,000 volunteer hours. They are here in the community, with the community.”
In recent years, CareFirst has collaborated with grassroots groups, along with local and regional healthcare organizations. This particular partnership with Events DC, facilitated by Oak View Group, builds upon CareFirst’s relationship with its 500,000 District-based members.
For some people, like Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Kelly Mikel Williams, this partnership can be a game changer for residents disillusioned by what he called empty promises.
“CareFirst is putting money aside for community development organizations. It will create opportunities for nonprofits and small businesses to support the community,” said Williams, chair of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 8E, which includes Shipley Terrace and Washington Highlands. “This is a true partnership. There are dollars and actions behind the rhetoric. They are recognizing issues in our community and doing something about it.”
