Within the past two months, the following hospitals or health systems announced changes to their names, beginning with the most recent.
1. Kewanee Hospital to Change Name to OSF St. Luke Medical Center
Kewanee (Ill.) Hospital is changing its name to OSF St. Luke Medical Center upon a change in ownership. Kewanee is joining Peoria, Ill.-based OSF Healthcare in a transaction that still requires state approval.
2. RMH Healthcare Changes Name to Reflect Sentara Transaction
RMH Healthcare in Harrisonburg, Va., will change its named to Sentara RMH Medical Center, effective Jan. 1. RMH President Jim Krauss said in a news release the new name reflects the system's partnership with Norfolk, Va.-based Sentara Healthcare and also represents RMH's comprehensive set of services.
Sentara and RMH finalized their merger in April 2011.
3. Name Change on the Way for New London Family Medical Center
New London (Wis.) Family Medical Center will change its name to ThedaCare Medical Center-New London this spring. NLFMC is one of Appleton, Wis.-based ThedaCare's five hospitals. Hospital President and CEO Bill Schmidt said the name change will better position 25-bed NLFMC as part of the regional system.
4. Biggs-Gridley Memorial Hospital Changes Name to Orchard Hospital
Biggs-Gridley Memorial Hospital in Gridley, Calif., changed its name to Orchard Hospital, effective Nov. 22. Hospital CEO Wade Sturgeon said the town names of Biggs and Gridley in the community hospital's name "kind of polarizes" the organization. "We want to be seen as more than a small community hospital for two towns," he said.
5. Beebe Medical Center Changes Name
Beebe Medical Center in Lewes, Del., rebranded itself as Beebe Healthcare. CEO Jeffrey Fried said the name change explains how the organization has become more than its 210-bed hospital. Beebe has labs, rehab clinics and ambulatory surgery centers scattered throughout its county.
More Articles on Hospital Name Changes:
10 Hospitals, Health Systems That Recently Changed Names, Brands
What's Behind the Rash of New Hospital Brands?
4 Tips to a Successful Hospital Rebranding