The Albany Med Health System has announced a new branding effort for its main hospital and member organizations.
Leaders say Albany Medical Center, Columbia Memorial Health, Glens Falls Hospital, Saratoga Hospital and the Visiting Nurses will share a common visual identity anchored by the health system name and logo. Albany Med Health System president and CEO Dr. Dennis McKenna launched a new public awareness campaign Monday:
"When patients see the Albany Med Health System brand, they can rest assured that they have a direct connection to the most advanced quality services and the largest team of healthcare experts from the mid-Hudson Valley to the North Country," said McKenna. "One brand identity explains the strength and scope of the system, from primary to urgent, hospital, surgical, post-surgical and homecare. It demonstrates the links between community hospitals and Albany Medical Center’s advanced services, which extend additional resources through the region, and for patients who require a higher level of care. The names of the institutions themselves are not changing. Each has a rich century long tradition in its community. Yet by presenting ourselves as a system, we tell our story clearly. The brand represents our unity and everything we offer.”
McKenna says the unified brand and "with you for everything" tagline is meant to symbolize the many milestones where life and medicine intersect. The system includes four hospitals, 800 physicians and 125 locations.
“One shared identity will reinforce all those connections, and so will a unified electronic medical record system," McKenna said. "Right now our team is preparing for the implementation of EPIC, the electronic medical record that will be used at the Albany Med Health System entities. The EMR will have far reaching impacts that will lead to better experiences for our patients. This platform allows for a patient's whole health history, their whole health story, with accuracy and security as the leading priorities, to be accessible by any clinician they see within the health care system. It also redoubles a commitment to patient centered care. The EMR will also result in a singular online portal for patients and our hospitals and our clinics.”
Citing financial difficulties, Albany Med recently eliminated 37 management positions. McKenna says "the Great Resignation," spurred by COVID-19, led to record numbers of nurses and other staff leaving the healthcare industry, leaving hospitals that already run on thin margins deep in the red. McKenna says costs are not passed on to consumers.
"On the Albany Medical Center campus, this has translated to $60 million for traveling nurses in the first half of 2022 alone, a high use year that averaged about 8 or 9 million for the entire 12 month period," said McKenna. "The Albany Med Health System has called upon our elected leaders to recognize the threat this places on our communities and enact meaningful legislation to support us. But it also means that we must use our resources wisely so that we can remain 'with you for everything.'"
Paul Scimeca is Glens Falls Hospital President and CEO:
“We came on board in July of 2020, during the height of the pandemic," said Scimeca. "No matter the challenge, our team continues to work compassionately, skillfully and tirelessly to deliver the care that you need. And that has been our consistent commitment to you since Glens Falls Hospital was first formed as the Parks Hospital in 1897. In the last two years, we have formed very strong relationships with fellow hospitals and providers within the system. This has allowed us to strengthen the services we have long provided and expand specialties not previously available in the North Country.”
McKenna noted that while the system has implemented revenue enhancement and expense reduction strategies, any further layoffs are not expected. Albany Med is the region's largest employer and has been a WAMC underwriter.
