Jan. 20, 2004

GW Hospital Exonerated of Bias Charges

Provost Announces Results of Probe in Letter to Community

I am writing to inform you that the formal investigation of an incident at GW Hospital on Oct. 11, 2003, has concluded, and that we have been cleared of all charges related to the alleged violation of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act. As we expected, the Health and Human Services investigators found no evidence of racial bias in how the patient in question was treated at our Emergency Room on that evening. We have maintained from the beginning, despite the inaccurate public perceptions, that GW Hospital and our doctors would be vindicated in the end. That is exactly what has happened.

We as a GW Medical Center family have always taken great pride in the fact that we serve all in our community and strive to provide the best quality of emergency and other care. We have learned from this incident and will continue to keep our eye on the bigger problem that is the severely strained healthcare system in the District of Columbia. It is our goal to be a partner in the solutions to these problems with our city leaders and healthcare providers. I want to thank all of you who helped us weather this storm. Your professionalism and support has helped us build better relationships with the healthcare community. We will take what we have learned in stride as we face new challenges, our heads held high.

John F. Williams, MD, EdD, MPH,
Provost and Vice President for Health Affairs

Send feedback to: bygeorge@gwu.edu