Corbin hospital officially changes name to ‘Baptist Health Corbin’

Baptist Health Corbin President and CEO Larry Gray stands outside the hospital’s new sign during a special ceremony Tuesday during which the hospital officially changed its name from Baptist Regional Medical Center to Baptist Health.

At 6 p.m. Tuesday the former Baptist Regional Medical Center officially became Baptist Health Corbin.

The Corbin hospital joins its six sister facilities in LaGrange, Lexington, Louisville, Paducah, Richmond and Madisonville as part of the rebranding.

“Across the entire state of Kentucky, Baptist Health is celebrating the new logo and the new name change,” said Larry Gray, CEO of Baptist Health Corbin. “As we have tried to remind you, it is the same great care. Taking care of folks like family because we are family.”

Gray emphasized that while the hospital’s name is changing, the standards and quality of care will remain high.

“We continue to believe in the kind of care we provide,” Gray said. “We will continue to look for ways to engage the community in their health.”

Gray said engaging the community is part of a shift in the entire healthcare industry to take a more proactive approach. Hospitals are not just treating the sick, but are offering screenings, health and wellness programs as part of an effort to expand preventative care.

“We are talking a lot about how to integrate care across a continuum of care from wellness to illness,” Gray said.

Over the last several years, Baptist Health has instituted a number of programs to improve the general health of the community and its employees. The entire Baptist Health campus is tobacco free. In 2009, a group of more than 30 employees began organizing and participating the Weight Watchers program, losing more than 2,000 pounds. The Fourth Annual Better U Expo will be held Feb. 22 and 23 at The Arena. Baptist Health employees from various departments will be on hand to provide a variety of free medical screenings.

“Our goal is to keep people healthy and actually keep people out of the hospital, which is counter to what we have always experienced,” Gray said. “It used to be if you get sick, come to the hospital. Now we are saying, ‘Lets find the best place for you to get treatment, which may not be the hospital.’”

Gray said the hospitals breast health program is a prime example of the new line of thinking. The program will focus on prevention, education and early screenings, so that the disease may be detected earlier to improve the patient’s prognosis.
Hospital employees will continue their philanthropic efforts.

Following the tornados that ravaged the area around Tuscaloosa, Ala., Baptist Health employees in the labor and delivery department started a collection of baby items. As the word spread through the hospital and the community, the collection effort included new and gently used items for adults, as well.

Hospital staff also organizes the Angels Unaware Program, a yearlong fundraising effort in which the proceeds are used to purchase food for families throughout the community. In addition, the children in each family receive a new coat, a blanket and a Christmas present.

Gray noted that one in four babies born in the state of Kentucky are born at a Baptist Health Hospital. One in five new cancer patients are diagnosed and treated at a Baptist Health facilit

“We still believe that healthcare is local,” Gray said. “This hospital is what is important to you and will always be important to you. But we also want you to understand that we have the resources and the expertise and a lot of shared knowledge and shared experience across the state of Kentucky.”