New Name For Major Healthcare Player In Westchester And Beyond

The hospital affiliation trend in Westchester and around the Tri-State area shows no signs of slowing down. And now, NorthShore-LIJ Health System, one of the region’s largest players, has made a major name change that signals a desire to unify its various hospitals and craft a brand name that doesn’t hinge on a geographic location—all the better for continued expansion. The company just announced its plans to rebrand as Northwell Health, which, as noted in the press release, “will be the centerpiece of a broad rebranding and marketing campaign that will launch in 2016, beginning a multi-year process to build recognition of the new name and distinguish the organization in a cluttered health care market.”

North Shore-LIJ—which recently added local hospitals Phelps Memorial and Northern Westchester to its fold—comprises a 21-hospital network and is New York State’s largest private employer and health care provider, with more than 61,000 employees, 10,000 plus affiliated physicians and other internal audiences, including more than 13,000 nurses. Of the name change, president and CEO Michael J. Dowling, says, “Being highly visible and clearly understood within and beyond the New York metropolitan area requires strong brand recognition. The Northwell Health name is a reflection of our past and a beacon of our future. It’s unique, simple and approachable, and better defines who we are and where we are going.”

Dowling also noted the need for a “more consumer-friendly name that did not confine us geographically and reflects our emergence as a regional health care provider with a coverage area that extends beyond Long Island.” The company also selected the name because of the shifting emphasis in the industry toward health and wellness promotion and disease prevention, he added.

However, despite the name change, North Shore-LIJ’s two Westchester locations—Phelps Memorial Hospital and Northern Westchester Hospital—will keep their respective names, which the company says is “in recognition of their rich and unique community-based histories.”

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