TMH officials looking into name change
May 29, 2008
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Craig — The Memorial Hospital is a community hospital, said Samantha Johnston, TMH service excellence officer.
The community should decide its name when the hospital moves to its new facility on Craig’s west end next year, she said.
The hospital’s building committee — made up of residents, physicians and hospital board members — recommended investigating a name change. The hospital board began that discussion at its Wednesday night meeting.
The recommendation was the first step in the process, Johnston said.
“This isn’t something we’ve been talking about for a long time or even something we’re close to coming to a decision on,” she said.
Officials don’t expect the name consideration to become a drawn-out process.
Aside from staff hours spent considering a change, there won’t be any money spent on studying the issue, Johnston said.
As for other possible names?
“We certainly haven’t gotten there at all,” Johnston said.
Different reasons led to building committee members favoring a name change possibility, she added.
Architects for the project are starting to draft the new hospital’s entrance and sign, and they asked whether the logo and name would change.
That started a few more considerations, not least among them a thought that maybe the best way to honor the history behind the hospital’s current building and the genesis of that name — The Memorial Hospital — was to leave it all alone.
TMH, which opened in 1950, was built with federal funds aimed at restoring the country’s health care network after the war. About 50 percent of the building’s costs were paid out of residents’ pockets through door-to-door collections and other grassroots campaigns.
The name itself was meant to honor men and women who fought in World War II and other wars.
Considering the name’s intent and the community’s direct hand in making the facility possible, maybe the community would prefer the name remain where it is, Johnston said.
Whether to rename the hospital isn’t something thought up just for change, she added.
“It’s something we want to find out from the community instead of just assuming the community wants us to continue with the same name,” she said.
There are challenges that could be alleviated with a name change, as well, Johnston said, adding it can be a burden for patients filing claims with insurance companies. It’s common for the company to put “Memorial Hospital” in their records, leaving out “The.”
There are many other hospitals with “memorial” in their names around Colorado and the country, Johnston said, which can confuse companies trying to pay the right one.
Either way, hospital officials don’t want to make a decision in a vacuum, Johnston said. They plan to defer to the community on this one.
“This is about the taxpayer’s view for the hospital they’re paying for,” she said.
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Question of the week
Did the Moffat County School Board make the right decision in replacing MCHS athletic director Rick Penner, who had been considered missing after not being heard from for about a week?
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29 May 2008 at 10:01 a.m.
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pgerini (Anonymous) says…
Please leave the name alone!
29 May 2008 at 10:47 a.m.
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50cal (Anonymous) says…
please see the question of the week remarks for name change. the commitee has decided to donate our recomendation to hospital board.
29 May 2008 at 10:55 a.m.
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jmemcse (Anonymous) says…
The old hospital is named TMH. The new one should it's own name. I think a simple name like Craig Medical Center.
29 May 2008 at 11:19 a.m.
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50cal (Anonymous) says…
isn't there a clinic with that name?
29 May 2008 at 4:05 p.m.
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carn (Anonymous) says…
Please leave the name alone. The new building will be a different one, but the community pride and spirit it houses will be the same.
29 May 2008 at 8:13 p.m.
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lonelyone (Anonymous) says…
50cal, there IS a Craig Medical Center, so your right, that name can't be used. Did Steamboat change the name of their hospital when the new one was built? I kind think the name should stay the same too, but I guess it would depend on what they want to change it too.
50, that could be one of your political forums!!! lol
Hey, we could spend 20k in Denver to come up with a study!!
29 May 2008 at 9:12 p.m.
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Globe (Anonymous) says…
One of my employees wife who works there told me they already have a name picked out and this is just fluff and lip service to make the “community” think they have a say in the decision to change the name. She said they take insignificant things they've already made up their mind on and ask the community for input to make them feel like they are actually being considered in the decision process. Kind of like they are doing with asking the community what they should do with the old building. It's Smoke and mirrors, ssmmookkee and mmiirrrroorrss
30 May 2008 at 9:28 a.m.
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50cal (Anonymous) says…
I still refer to the survey of the week, seems like we already figured out a name change. Globe you can't be serious, smoke and mirrors Pat germond did something with smoke and mirrors and look what he wrote. I can believe the smoke part though. Something ablowing smoke up a certain body part.
12 June 2008 at 11:04 a.m.
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oldtimer (Anonymous) says…
we built the hospital in memory of our veterans. I feel this new one should be in the same area and if it to be and have a new name then let it be the memorial hospital. i wonder if the people have looked at the cost of the change. Changing all billing getting registered with all the different insurances. To me it looks like another hidden MAJOR expense but they could always run another good employee off to make up for the cost,
13 June 2008 at 4:21 p.m.
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highway1340 (Anonymous) says…
Did you see the ad in the paper today asking for “more input” They have a meeting time set up and everything. Like 200 people saying no wasn't enough. I am with 50 Cal and Globe an d think they already have a name picked out and their minds made up. I am sure this meeting is just for show.