The former Metro Health – University of Michigan Health welcomes its new name today, as it officially becomes University of Michigan Health-West.
The new name, announced earlier this year, serves two purposes. It describes the organization’s role as part of the state’s top-ranked health system, University of Michigan Health. And it emphasizes a focus on West Michigan, where the organization has been relentlessly advancing healthcare for eight decades.
Visible changes will be gradual, as physicians and staff receive new lab coats and uniforms, and correspondence and signage are updated for multiple sites across West Michigan. The transition is expected to continue into 2022. Throughout the process, the experience for patients will be seamless. They will not need to change anything in the way they connect with services.
“University of Michigan Health-West will have the same progressive, patient-focused culture as when we were known as Metro Health or Metropolitan Hospital or Grand Rapids Osteopathic Hospital,” said Dr. Peter Hahn, President and CEO, University of Michigan Health-West. “Our founding physicians would be proud of our identity today, as part of one of the world’s greatest health systems.”
The former Metro Health became the premier affiliate of University of Michigan Health on Dec. 15, 2016.
“As we approach the fifth anniversary of the affiliation, the name change reminds us of what our relationship with University of Michigan Health has made possible,” said Hahn. “Sept. 27 will become another important milestone our long, proud legacy of innovation, compassion and excellence.”
Recent years have seen the addition of multiple services and capabilities, including more outpatient care sites, certification as a comprehensive stroke center, and groundbreaking regional partnerships to advance cancer and cardiovascular care. Earlier this year, the state granted approval to launch Michigan’s first new open-heart surgery program in nearly 20 years. “These accomplishments are bringing world-class care close to home for the patients we serve across West Michigan,” said Hahn. “This really is a testament to the dedicated staff across our organization, as well as visionary leadership through the years that made us who we are today. Together, they have set the stage for an even brighter future as University of Michigan Health-West.”