Vidant North Hospital will become ECU Health North Hospital as the rebranding of Vidant Health and the East Carolina University Brody School of Medicine begins next month.
Today officials from both organizations unveiled the new ECU Health logo.
What changes and what investments will be made in Roanoke Rapids as Vidant North becomes ECU Health North is something that is being studied, Vidant CEO Michael Waldrum said at a press conference in Greenville, which was held in an in-person and virtual format.
One thing that has happened, he said, is, “The (ECU) chancellor recently in the last few years joined the Vidant Medical Center Board. It never happened here so having shared governance and shared leadership to drive shared accountability is really important when you’re trying to manage complex organizations.”
He said what the teams from both organizations are looking at are community needs and “how do we make strategic investments in those communities to provide access and to improve the health and well-being of those communities.”
The work is ongoing, he said. “That work is also shared with the Brody School of Medicine and we build this strategy together to not only improve healthcare but also to leverage that to help us educate and do research in our communities.”
Waldrum said Vidant has already made significant investments in eastern North Carolina. “We anticipate continuing to invest in the needs of those communities to provide access to excellent healthcare.”
Of the launching of ECU Health next month, Waldrum, who is also dean of the Brody School, said, “Eastern North Carolina’s vibrancy depends on strong collaboration between the institutional pillars that have long represented this region’s unique needs.”
He said the logo “is a symbol of our shared commitment to transforming and elevating health care for millions, training the providers of tomorrow, collaborating with community partners to solve complex issues and bringing clinical innovations that improve the lives of those who proudly call this region home.”
The ECU Health logo is designed to “capture the essence of an innovative regional health system comprised of more than 13,000 dedicated health care workers, a thriving university, current and future generations of doctors committed to caring for North Carolina and the unwavering commitment of two organizations working collaboratively to transform the east,” the systems said in a statement.
“It is exciting to be a part of ECU’s continued transformation as we work to build pathways for sustained excellence here in Greenville and the region,” said ECU Chancellor Philip Rogers. “This partnership strengthens our institutions’ shared mission and ultimately betters the communities we serve. Sharing the new ECU Health logo begins an exciting chapter as we work collaboratively to build the health care enterprise for the region and expand our reach further into eastern North Carolina.”
Dr. Jason Higginson, executive dean of the Brody School, said, “The rebranding to ECU Health is symbolic of the importance and longstanding cooperation of ECU’s Brody School of Medicine and Vidant Health. Together, we have long stood side by side advancing the health delivery, research and education mission for eastern North Carolina. Having one brand will make our close and important relationship apparent to everyone.”
The rebranding process for most Vidant entities is expected to begin in May and will take several months to complete. The Brody School of Medicine’s name will not change.
Naming conventions are as follows:
Hospitals
ECU Health Medical Center
ECU Health Beaufort Hospital – A Campus of ECU Health Medical Center
ECU Health Bertie Hospital
ECU Health Chowan Hospital
ECU Health Duplin Hospital
ECU Health Edgecombe Hospital
ECU Health Roanoke-Chowan Hospital
The Outer Banks Hospital
ECU Health Maynard Children’s Hospital
Other entities
Naming of Vidant Medical Group, ECU Physicians and practice groups will be shared at a future date.
