The Portland-based hospital system MaineHealth announced Thursday that it would rebrand all of its member hospitals with a new logo as well as names for each facility that reflect the parent organization.
The health system has expanded over the years to include 13 hospitals and care centers stretching along the coast from Biddeford to Belfast and into the inland communities of Norway, Farmington and North Conway, New Hampshire. It’s the state’s largest private employer, with more than 20,000 people working for it.
Its hospitals will now have names such as MaineHealth Lincoln Hospital in Damariscotta and MaineHealth Franklin Hospital in Farmington. Its three southern Maine hospitals in Portland, Biddeford and Sanford will now fall under the banner of MaineHealth Maine Medical Center, followed by each community’s name.
The change, which will be rolled out over the course of this year, has been in the works since 2016 but was put on hold due to the pandemic, according to MaineHealth spokesperson John Porter.
It’s the second of Maine’s two large hospital organizations to adopt a new brand. The former Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems of Brewer did so in 2018, becoming Northern Light Health.
The change is meant to make it easier for patients to understand they’re receiving care from the organization while also providing a unified identity for attracting and retaining staff, according to a press release from MaineHealth.
“More and more, meeting our patients’ needs requires us to provide services at multiple locations with a care team working in concert across what had traditionally been separate hospital organizations. This new approach will reinforce that we are one team committed to our vision,” said MaineHealth CEO Andrew Mueller.
The change is expected to be expensive, primarily for the new signs that will have to be created, but Porter said the “upfront capital costs are small compared to MaineHealth’s overall financial position.” He said the cost would equal 0.15 percent of the group’s annual budgeted revenue of $4.1 billion, which translates to just over $6 million.
The rebrand will be spread out over several months to make sure signs are consistent with billing and patient care documents, Porter said. The southern Maine hospitals will make the change in June, followed by the inland region in August and the coastal region in September. The group also has primary care practices, a behavioral health center and other branches that will be included in the new brand.
