History

If past is prologue, then Providence Hospital will have an amazing future.

At the invitation of Abraham Lincoln, the Daughters of Charity began their service to District residents who were sick, poor and vulnerable. Founded in 1861 by the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent DePaul, Providence Hospital is the longest continuously operating hospital in Washington, DC.

Providence established itself as a teaching hospital when other District hospitals were flooded with war wounded during the Civil War.  Providence is still a teaching hospital, offering three graduate medical teaching programs and serving as a rotational site for nursing and medical students and residents.

Providence has changed location three times since 1861.  The present campus in northeast DC continues to grow and evolve to meet the needs of today’s healthcare consumers.

Times have changed and Providence is now staffed by a diverse and talented group of associates.  Leadership is exercised by a new generation of laymen and women.  But the core values that shaped the patient experience in 1861 still define the spirit of charity that patients and visitors experience, in addition to high quality care.