TCH Newsroom
Contact: Rodney Foushee
Public Relations & Marketing Manager
(828) 883-5435
Transylvania Community Hospital Revisits Name Change
BREVARD, N.C., March 31, 2008—Transylvania Community Hospital will change its name to Transylvania Regional Hospital this fall.
The Hospital’s Board of Trustees announced in late November that it had decided to rename the hospital Summit Regional Hospital to coincide with the completion of a current $14 million expansion and renovation of the medical facility in Brevard.
Since the initial announcement, hospital leaders have received feedback—both positive and negative—about the name choice. Some community members, especially long-term residents of the area, expressed great pride in the name “Transylvania.”
The Board of Trustees revisited the issue and voted Thursday to rename the hospital Transylvania Regional Hospital effective Oct. 1. The decision came after the board reviewed research conducted by the hospital in 2007, which supported Transylvania Regional Hospital as another positive choice for the new name.
“We understand—and share— the pride in our unique name, the heritage of the region and our hospital’s history,” said Bob Bednarek, president and CEO of Transylvania Community Hospital. “And we want to stay focused on our mission of providing quality patient care—that’s what’s truly important. Yet, our new name announcement last fall caused some community members to become distracted from the other, excellent messages we have been sharing about quality patient care, our new inpatient wing, the enhanced general surgery service now available and our new Hospitalist Program. With the board’s decision, we can focus on the strategic initiatives happening at our hospital right now without a name change distracting us from our primary mission of providing access to the highest quality healthcare for the residents of this entire region.”
Besides undergoing a major expansion project, the hospital is also teaming with local physicians to ensure access to care by creating a stronger, integrated healthcare system.
“With this decision on the name, we are moving onward to our goal of ‘reaching the summit’ in patient care as Transylvania Regional Hospital—with a continued focus on meeting the needs of patients in Transylvania, Henderson and Jackson counties,” said Dr. Dana Christianson, chairman of the TCH Board of Trustees. “We know that our quality of care is extraordinary, supported by our hospital’s extremely low infection rates and excellent clinical outcomes data. This quality reputation is attracting people from a larger geographic area. We feel confident that this regional focus of our hospital will enable us to continue to enhance and expand our services to serve patients right here in Transylvania County, and beyond, for years to come.”
The name change will have no impact on the ownership or management of the hospital, which will continue to operate as an independent, private, not-for-profit organization.
The hospital’s expansion—one of the largest in its history—is on schedule for completion this fall. The project includes 30 state-of-the-art inpatient rooms in a new 25,000 square-foot wing, designed with patients, their loved ones and care providers in mind. The new rooms will be the largest in the region, with special areas for visitors to dine and sleep. At the same time, high-tech monitoring equipment will be standard throughout the new wing, allowing for up-to-the-second monitoring of patients’ vital signs and other medical indicators. The hospital’s exterior and front parking lot will also get a facelift, giving the whole campus a more modern feel.
The hospital plans to hold several events to celebrate its rich 75-year history this year culminating with the dedication of the renovated building and the name change to Transylvania Regional Hospital in October. Transylvania Community Hospital will be hosting a community-wide open house to mark its 75th anniversary and the opening of the new inpatient wing on May 4 from 2 to 4 p.m. The event will include tours of the new wing.
About Transylvania Community Hospital
Celebrating its 75th year, Transylvania Community Hospital is a nationally ranked 5-Star Hospital and a leading provider of quality healthcare services in Transylvania and surrounding counties. Based in Brevard, N.C., it is a not-for-profit community hospital founded in 1933 and is the largest employer in Transylvania County.