Ward 7 Welcomes New Community Wellness Center

MedStar Family Choice District of Columbia has unveiled its brand-new Community Wellness Center in the heart of Ward 7, aimed to improve health outcomes and reduce disparities east of the Anacostia River.

Open to Medicaid-eligible residents participating in the DC Healthcare Alliance and DC Healthy Families programs, MedStar, along with local community leaders, welcomed Wards 7 and 8 residents to the ribbon-cutting event on Jan. 14 at their Minnesota Avenue location.

“We are so happy about the Wellness Center.  We believe that we have created a space for the people we serve in Wards 7 and 8 to make sure that they have the appropriate access, not only to social needs, but also to clinical care, meeting with our care managers who will be on site, our care coordinators, navigators and a very new team that we created – our care resource team,” said Jocelyn C. Carter, president of MedStar Family Choice. “Their goal is to make sure that our members have access to those services and that they are made aware of them.” 

Local data highlights health concerns and lower life expectancy rates across Wards 7 and 8 in comparison to other parts of the city, largely due to a number of factors including health, racial, and economic disparities.  For example, residents born on certain blocks of either Ward 7 or 8 have consistently shown, on average, a 25-year less lifespan than those born in other parts of the city. 

Further, residents east of the Anacostia River have suffered a long-standing history of inequitable health care services made available within reach of their neighborhoods.  

During the unveiling, Wayne Turnage, deputy mayor for the District of Columbia Health and Human Services (DMHHS) and director of the District of Columbia Department of Health Care Finance (DHCF), shared details of prior data analysis of health care resources that were spent in Ward 8 versus health care resources spent outside of Ward 8 for the same [services].  The numbers revealed that only 50% of finances used on Medicaid were actually being spent on health care services located east of the Anacostia River.

“Why were they spent outside the community? Because the residents didn’t have a place that they trusted, or places that they trusted to go and take care of their healthcare needs,” Turnage said.

However, despite common doubts to the efficacy of wellness centers, Turnage assures that these community-based facilities have a substantial place in the approach to tackle the issue of health equity in the District.

The Community Wellness Center, part of MedStar Health’s commitment to equitable health access, has orchestrated a bevy of support services to provide with the hopes of meeting people where they are. The center will offer social services with face-to-face case management, fitness classes, diabetes management cooking workshops, maternity and parenting support, perinatal legal assistance, and wellbeing resources.  

“I see a facility like this, a wellness center, as a key [step] that can help residents deal with issues of self care.  It is the best first step to having a healthy lifestyle,” Turnage continued. “So, I am very pleased that MedStar had the foresight to open this community [center] where it needs to be.”

Area Leaders Weigh In on Importance of Wellness Center 

District native and newly minted Ward 7 Councilmember Wendell Felder (D), shared his support for MedStar in bringing a much-needed service to his community.

“For far too long, Ward 7 has faced significant health care disparities, with limited access to quality healthcare services, and it has taken a toll on the families and neighbors,” said Felder. “Today, we take a huge step forward to closing that gap.” 

Similarly, Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner 8E  Anita Burrows is pleased to see the new development that she hopes will help improve the unequal health challenges many Ward 7 and 8 residents battle daily.

“East of the river has a high homicide rate, so it’s a lot of grief. And there are a lot of single parent homes; that affects the child a lot when it comes to going to school and getting the education that they need.  They can’t fully function because of things that are going on in the home,” Burrows told The Informer.  “So, having a wellness center or just community leaders coming out and helping is like [giving the youth] a family outside of their home where they can be their best self.”

While Burrows looks forward to the availability of support services for community members in need, she emphasizes the need to strengthen economic and workforce opportunities as more health services trickle into the community.

“I do think that we are seeing a brighter future, but I do not want any developers to forget about our Wards [7 and 8] residents when it comes to jobs and things of that sort,” she explained.  “It’s [important to be included] and to know what is going on.  Don’t just come over there, get the building and [leave us in the dark] where we don’t know what’s going on.  Let us know.”