Augusta Health rebranding mirrors updates

Very reasonable members of our community have questioned why the new name for our local hospital. Why Augusta Health? Why spend money on marketing? Actually, our Board of Directors recognized that we did need to address our “identity crisis.” The hospital system previously operated under a variety of names including Augusta Health Care, Augusta Medical Center and Augusta Health Corporation for the actual hospital itself and a host of other names for the physician practices, therapy services, home health, etc., whose names did not relate to the hospital system. Many people, both inside and outside of our organization, didn’t realize that we employ more than 40 physicians in a variety of practices. We recognized a need for clarity and unity.

For those of us closely involved with the hospital, a greater concern than the confusion about our multiple names is the uncertainty and misconceptions that exist about the actual hospital system itself. Who owns it? Who runs it? What is it trying to do?

First, we need to emphasize that Augusta Health is a totally independent health system. Augusta Health is a community nonprofit organization that is governed by a 15-member, unpaid, volunteer Board of Directors chosen from throughout our communities.

Our basic mission is to promote the health and well-being of our community through access to excellent care. Our goal is to deliver locally the spectrum of medical care that we know we can do well and cost-effectively and is important to our community.

A recent point of emphasis is to expand and improve our range of services in cardiac care. We are all aware that heart disease is the number one cause of death, and given our region’s higher than average population over the age of 65, we are focusing on developing more comprehensive, coordinated, “around the clock” cardiac care. We are pleased to report that two new highly trained and experienced cardiologists have recently elected to join us at Augusta Health: Dr. Morton Kalus, a Princeton graduate who received his medical degree from Johns Hopkins University, and Dr. John Yang, a Columbia University graduate who received his medical degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia School. In the next few months we anticipate recruiting additional quality members to our cardiac team.

In addition, two new gastroenterologists, Dr. Javier Pou and Dr. Vanessa Lee, have joined Dr. Stephen Howlett’s Augusta Health practice. Augusta Health has also recruited five new hospitalists this year to join our existing excellent practice. Augusta Health has expanded its geographic access for patients who come to our hospital from other locations, including a new practice in Lexington with Dr. Walter Kerschl, and a new practice in Crozet with Dr. Shelley Snodgrass.

A new Wound Healing Clinic was recently opened to treat chronic, non-healing wounds, and a board-certified vascular surgeon, Dr. Timothy Spencer, is the medical director of this new program. A new sleep lab will open this fall in a newly renovated state-of-the-art facility. New technologies added this year include a new angiography suite which combines an operating room and a new CT scanner enabling state-of-the-art vascular procedures to be done under image control. A third CT scanner has been added to the radiology and imaging suite, providing the most up-to-date technology for imaging.

With new specialties, new services, new technology, and new access points, Augusta Health is a much more descriptive name of our capabilities. Both medicine itself and the delivery of medical care continue to change at surprisingly rapid speeds. Personally, I have always been proud and actually a little awed at what our community hospital has been able to create. I am impressed with the accomplishments that have been made in the past year to enhance the scope and quality of our health delivery system and feel it is fitting that we brand the entire Augusta Health system with a new, simple, but comprehensive name.

Dr. Charles Andersen is a member of Augusta Health’s Board of Directors.