Naming process for new hospital underway

Since Kingston General Hospital and Hotel Dieu Hospital announced plans to join forces and create a new academic health sciences centre, teams across both organizations have been working hard behind the scenes to get the job done. This month, we are turning our focus toward the important task of choosing a name for the new integrated organization and to do that, we need input from everyone who works, learns, volunteers, donates, and receives care at our hospitals.

The new name will act as an “umbrella brand” for both of the hospital sites, as each will keep their existing site name so that patients and families will continue to know where to go for care.

“There has been a lot of interest at both hospitals and in the community about the naming process and we are excited to be at the point where we are now gathering input from everyone,” says Theresa MacBeth, Director of Strategy Management and Communications at KGH.  “The new name will represent both organizations so it’s important we give as many people as possible a chance to share their thoughts.”

To that end, we are now rolling out an online survey. In this survey, respondents will be asked to select their top three choices from a list of proposed names and also provide suggestions of their own. 

“Deciding on a name is an important piece of the branding process. It is our opportunity to clearly describe to our community who we are and what we do,” says MacBeth. “It’s why we’ve developed some important strategic and mechanical goals that the new name must meet and that everyone can consider when they provide their input.”

Strategic goals for the new name

• Identify and clarify who we are and what we do
• Raise our profile as a patient- and family-centred care, research and teaching centre
• Describe our role as an academic health sciences centre
• Align with and support our Foundation (University Hospitals Kingston Foundation)
• Position us as an innovative and leading health science centre that is transforming the way health care is delivered
• Be inclusive to potential future partners             
• Align with our history and founding organization names (the names Hotel Dieu Hospital and Kingston General Hospital will be displayed in concert with the new Corporate name)

Mechanical goals for the new name

• Short, easy to say and remember
• Element of location
• Must work as a bilingual name (English and French)
• Have an available domain name and handle (website, email addresses, etc.)

A committee made up of representatives from both hospitals, including staff, Patient Experience Advisors and physicians, will then review all of the feedback that’s been gathered and create a short list of top names for consideration. This list will then go to the integration Joint Steering Committee who will select the final name in the New Year. 

To get started and have your say, take the online survey now at www.surveymonkey.com/r/nameourhospital 

For more information about the KGH/HDH integration, visit https://kingstonhsc.com