Adventist HealthCare will begin managing Washington, D.C.-based Howard University Hospital later this month under a three-year arrangement.
The management services agreement with Howard University, a private historically black university that operates Howard University Hospital, takes effect Feb. 17. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
Adventist, a faith-based system that operates three acute-care hospitals in Maryland, will bring in a new senior leadership team, including appointing Anita Jenkins as Howard University Hospital's new CEO. Jenkins most recently served as president of Kettering Health Network's Sycamore Medical Center in Ohio.
Adventist will also work with Howard University to build a replacement hospital.
Adventist officials said the agreement will help to strengthen health services in the D.C. region.
"We want Howard to continue to be a vital healthcare provider to meet the growing needs of the community, the region and the country now and in the future," Terry Forde, Adventist's president and CEO, said in a statement.
Howard University officials said the partnership will maintain the teaching hospital's mission of training black physicians. Medical students, residents and graduates at Howard University will be able to train and work within Adventist's network of hospitals.
"This is a historic day for Howard University because this union with Adventist HealthCare signifies a stronger foundation for building our academic programs and it enhances our ability to train the next generation of healthcare professionals," Dr. Wayne Frederick, Howard University's president, said in a statement.
Boosting diversity has been a growing area of focus for medical schools. Only 7% of students enrolled in medical school were black in 2018, according to a report released last year by the Association of American Medical Colleges. In a separate report in 2018, the AAMC cited Howard University as the top college sending black applicants to U.S. medical schools.
Howard University Hospital reported $222.7 million in operating revenue and a $22.1 million in operating loss in 2018, according to Modern Healthcare Metrics.
The hospital has had trouble collecting bills and maintaining its accreditation, and declines in reimbursement rates and patient volume in recent years have weighed on Howard University's finances, according to the Washington Post.
