WASHINGTON, D. C. (November 20, 2017) – Howard University Hospital (HUH), Howard University Faculty Practice Plan (HUFPP), and Unity Health Care, Inc., (Unity) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to develop an integrated network that will deliver healthcare services to women in Washington.

The collaboration between HUH, HUFPP, and Unity will expand the number of obstetricians, labor and delivery hospital rooms and neonatal beds available for pregnant women in Washington, D.C. The increased capacity at HUH will benefit the 2,000 pregnant women seen at Unity each year as well as other patients served by the D.C.’s community health centers, specifically residents in Wards 7 and 8.

Howard and Unity have long fulfilled the role of providing care to the underserved in the Nation’s Capital. With the signing of the MOU, Howard and Unity’s collaboration will improve health equity for D.C. residents by increasing access to women’s health and specialty care.  

“Howard University Hospital’s specialized care combined with Unity’s primary care expertise and over 25 healthcare sites are a great match to meet the variety of needs of communities across the District, especially east of the Anacostia, where these services are needed most,” said Howard University President Wayne A. I. Frederick. “This collaboration will allow District residents improved access to the quality health care they deserve.”

This collaboration aligns both organizations’ networks of Women’s Health and Family Medicine providers to offer a complete spectrum of care from preventative to comprehensive medical services. In addition, Unity will become a training site for the many future health care interdisciplinary providers in medicine, nursing, pharmacy and dentistry. The programs will address the significant needs of minority providers, a move that is consistent with the University’s and Unity’s missions and values.

“It is through collaborations like the one we now have with Howard that we are able to fulfill our mission at Unity of promoting healthier communities regardless of an individual’s ability to pay,” said Unity President and CEO, Vincent A. Keane. “There is no happier time within a family than the birth of a child. Through this partnership we are able to ensure that all of our District families have access to a coordinated, seamless delivery experience so they can focus on what’s important -- their new baby.”

The collaboration will enable HUFPP’s 175 faculty physicians, with varying specialties, and Unity, which has more than 150 primary care providers, to develop meaningful strategies to improve quality of care for residents east of the Anacostia.

“This partnership is truly a win-win,” said Howard University College of Medicine Dean Hugh E. Mighty. “The community gets enhanced health care immediately, and we have the opportunity to develop more medical care professionals in the District.”

Media Contacts: Sholnn Freeman, Senior Communications Specialist, 202-865-3518 (office), or sholnn.freeman@howard.edu; or Nedra Davis, Communication Manager, 202-715-7986 (office), ndavis@unityhealthcare.org

About Howard University Hospital

Over the course of its roughly 155-year history of providing the finest primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare services, Howard University Hospital (HUH) remains one of the most comprehensive healthcare facilities in the Washington  metropolitan area. It is designated a DC Level 1 Trauma Center. The hospital is the nation's only teaching hospital located on the campus of a historically Black university.

About Unity Health Care

Unity Health Care, Inc., is the largest network of community health centers in Washington, D.C., and provides a full-range of health and human services to meet the needs of our communities through a network of over 20 traditional and non-traditional health sites and a mobile medical outreach vehicle. Our team of compassionate and multicultural health professionals place Unity values into action every day to bring whole-person care and wellness to over 106,000 patients through 500,000 visits annually. Deeply rooted in the District’s neighborhoods for over 30 years, Unity strives to promote healthier communities through compassion and comprehensive primary and specialty health care and wrap-around services, regardless of ability to pay.