Bonner General unveils new name, identity

SANDPOINT — With major expansions in the works, Bonner General Hospital has a new identity — and a name to match.

Officials announced today they’re redefined the “H” in Bonner General Hospital, rebranding the institution as Bonner General Health. The name is meant to reflect the hospital’s comprehensive role in local health care, from preventative care to emergency services to education.

“For us, it’s just another step toward a more encompassing health care system,” said Terri Fortner, community development director for the hospital.

BGH officials began discussions over the future of the hospital’s identity in conjunction with planning its physical expansion, Fortner said. They noted how the word “hospital” failed to capture many BGH services, including rehabilitation, home health and hospice and women’s health.

With that in mind, hospital officials surveyed employees and the public to learn their preferences about what worked and what didn’t. When the research was tallied, they discovered that people liked the “BGH” branding, as well as the hospital tag line, “quality compassionate care.” On the other hand, those surveyed said the delivery of those ideas could be better.

Project coordinators decided to start with the very core of the hospital’s identity: its name. By “redefining the H” in BGH, Fortner hopes the community will see the hospital as a center for more than just acute medical care and emergency treatment. After all, the vast majority of hospital services in 2013 didn’t involve an overnight stay, with 56,000 outpatient procedures versus 1,800 inpatient admissions.

The hospital’s leadership agreed with Fortner’s assessment.

“Our commitment to provide quality urgent, acute and critical care hasn’t changed,” BGH CEO Sheryl Rickard said in a press release. “We have, however, enhanced our focus over the last decade to provide care for the community well beyond the services that are provided in a ‘hospital’ in the traditional sense.”

One such measure is an effort to combat local health care problems at their source. To that end, hospital staff have identified the four biggest health care concerns in the region: obesity, mental health and suicide, teenage pregnancy and child abuse and neglect.

“We have a unique opportunity to focus on the health and well being of our entire community through our ability to build collaborative, health-focused programs,” Rickard said.

The renaming moves the hospital closer toward its ultimate vision, but the next major step is the construction of the extension facility on Cedar Street and Third Avenue. The 40,000-square-foot medical office building, which will connect to the main hospital building via a skywalk, is projected to be completed by early 2015.

“Even with our upgrades and expansion, the heart of our mission remains the same,” Rickard said. “We provide quality, compassionate care, right here in our wonderful hometown.”