The Silver Spring Penguin

A Takoma Park hospital and a District-based health center plan to open a clinic geared towards the area’s growing Hispanic population. The clinic will offer primary care services to low-income and uninsured patients in lower Silver Spring, Takoma Park and Langley Park.

The clinic is the result of a partnership between Washington Adventist Hospital, a 285-bed facility in Takoma Park, and Mary’s Center for Maternal and Child Care, which provides bilingual health and social services in the District. The two organizations will share start-up costs and the first year’s expenses–about $1.5 million, says the Washington Post.

The plan is to drop the clinic on Arliss Street at Flower Avenue in Long Branch, but it’s not a done deal. Lawsuits and NIMBY neighbors have delayed construction, the Post writes. The clinic is supposed to open next spring, according to a hospital press statement.

The health partnership expects the clinic to serve 1,000 patients in its first year. Holy Cross Hospital in Forest Glen also operates a primary care clinic and treats 5,200 patients annually, says the Post.

Between 80,000 and 100,000 MoCo adults don’t have health insurance, the Post writes.

“Washington Adventist, center to open clinic” (Washington Post)
“Washington Adventist Hospital and Mary’s Center announce partnership to meet community demand” (Press statement)