The hospital serves patients in the Fort Washington, Oxon Hill, and Temple Hills areas, as well as parts of southeast Washington, D.C. In the late 1970s, residents in Fort Washington explored the idea of establishing a hospital in the area. Their dream was partially realized when the Fort Washington Ambulatory Care Center opened in 1983 as a 16-hour emergency treatment facility with outpatient sur
gery. The Center was expanded in 1991 creating what is now Fort Washington Medical Center - an acute care hospital, admitting patients 24 hours a day. In October 2019, Fort Washington Medical Center became part of the Adventist HealthCare system and was renamed Adventist HealthCare Fort Washington Medical Center. Today, the hospital provides general inpatient services including adult medical and surgical care, ambulatory surgical services, laboratory, radiology and diagnostic services, as well as gastrointestinal, orthopedic, rehabilitation, and respiratory therapy. Specialty services include gynecology, neurology, urology, and ophthalmology. In addition, Fort Washington operates one of the busiest emergency rooms in the metropolitan area, seeing more than 40,000 patients each year, and has just over 400 employees. As a community-based hospital, health professionals at Fort Washington engage monthly in activities and services including free health screenings, educational workshops, and health fairs. Some of its community-based programs include an Outpatient Diabetes Education Program that tailors to the patient’s goals, education, and lifestyle. In addition, they offer an Infectious Diseases Program that provides free HIV and Hepatitis C testing and education.