(Chelsea Update would like to thank Laura Blodgett for the information in this story.)
After more than five years as a member of Saint Joseph Mercy Health System (SJMHS), the Board of Trustees of Chelsea Community Hospital has decided to rename the hospital St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea.
The name was approved after several months of careful study, market research, mission discernment and input from community members, donors, physicians and colleagues, according to the press release.
This name change will better identify and strengthen consumer recognition that the Chelsea hospital is part of a larger health system, and the important role Chelsea plays as the “front door” in western Washtenaw County for patients to access all the services SJMHS offers across southeast Michigan.
While still providing top notch care right in its local community, patients at the Chelsea hospital can tap into more complex services if necessary at SJMHS locations.
For example, according to the press release, the Chelsea hospital is currently completing construction on a cancer center that will provide local residents with medical oncology, radiation oncology, infusion, chemotherapy and radiation therapy in a convenient setting.
As a gateway to the larger health system, the Chelsea hospital can transition its patients with more complex needs to St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor for services such as CyberKnife® radiotherapy, access to clinical research trials and advanced surgical treatments – all while remaining within the same health system and the same physician team.
“How fortunate we are to be able to deliver the same high quality, compassionate care our patients have come to expect while providing seamless access to complex regional care when needed,” said Nancy Graebner, president and chief executive officer, St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea.
“Changing the name of a hospital after 44 years is not a decision made lightly. Our goal is to ensure the hospital’s long term sustainability to serve the health needs of our community for generations to come. I am pleased that we are now well positioned as a visible member of a premier health system that allows us greater reach in southeast Michigan,” she said in a press release.
In the last five years, the Chelsea hospital has received over $100 million as a member of SJMHS for the construction of the new two-story atrium addition for inpatient care that includes 54 private patient rooms with private bathrooms, and expanded areas in surgical services, emergency room, diagnostic imaging and outpatient rehabilitation; a new Electronic Medical Records system; a Cancer Center currently under construction and a donation to fund and establish the Chelsea Area Wellness Foundation to support the communities served by the hospital.
“When we entered our agreement five years ago we were excited to have such a high quality community hospital as one of our members,” said SJMHS Regional President and CEO Garry C. Faja. “We didn’t anticipate the name change but are thrilled that the Chelsea Board of Trustees has further endorsed our association as a connected health system.”
A member of CHE Trinity Health, the six hospitals of SJMHS support patients across southeast Michigan by sharing best practices, medical breakthroughs, physician and professional expertise, research, technology advancements, electronic medical records and receive consistently high quality and safety marks as well as provide excellence in the patient care experience.
What a bunch of mumbo jumbo. Chelsea has lost its community hospital.