Hospital’s parent company takes new name

By Rhonda Simmons

Published: July 3, 2008

Culpeper Regional Hospital’s parent corporation is getting a new name.

Earlier this year, Culpeper Memorial Hospital Health Corp. became Culpeper Regional Health System.

Hospital administrators made the announcement during a meeting in March, according to Abra Hogarth, the hospital’s community and public relations manager.

She cited hospital growth and increasing services as the reasons for the modification.

“We felt that the name change better reflects the many ways that we serve the community,” she said Tuesday afternoon. “We have diligently been working on a rollout campaign internally. You will see the new signage and branding material phased in externally throughout the next year or so.”

The hospital will continue to be known as Culpeper Regional.

CRHS is the umbrella company for a host of nonprofit and for-profit subsidiaries, including CRH, Culpeper Regional Hospital Foundation, Culpeper Regional Hospital Auxiliary, Culpeper Surgery Center, Powell Wellness Center, Culpeper Physicians Hospital Organization and Culpeper Medical Associates.

The change follows an announcement in April to partner with the University of Virginia Medical Center. Under that agreement, the Charlottesville-based medical facility will receive a 49 percent interest in CRHS as early as January.

U.Va. Medical Center plans to invest “ownership interest” in CRH over the next three to five years, pending a joint agreement effective January 2009, according to H. Lee Kirk, CRH’s president and CEO.

“This is about positioning CRH for the future,” Kirk said during a press conference at the hospital in April. “It’s about quality of care, and it’s about meeting our mission. … It’s important, as we continue to grow, to have access to technology, expertise and capital.”

The 70-bed, two-story health care facility originally opened its doors as Culpeper Memorial Hospital in 1960.

Eight years ago, the hospital changed its name to Culpeper Regional to reflect its place in the region and commitment to Culpeper, Madison, Orange and Rappahannock counties.

Rhonda Simmons can be reached at 825-0771 ext. 125 or .