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Starting in August, theNemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children will be known as Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware, as the health care system seeks to broaden its image. | PHOTO COURTESY OF NEMOURS[/caption]
WILMINGTON – More than 80 years after first opening, Nemours Children’s Health System will drop the du Pont family name from its Rockland-area hospital in a bid to grow a more national brand.
What is today known as the Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, or simply “A.I.” to many locals, will become known as Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware, the nonprofit health care provider announced Wednesday. The du Pont family connection will be retained by naming the property that the hospital, historic Nemours Mansion and Gardens and Carillon Tower sits on the Alfred I. duPont Campus.
“Naming the Delaware campus after Alfred I. duPont is a fitting tribute to both his foresight and his legacy,” said Gina Altieri, executive vice president and enterprise chief communications officer of Nemours Children’s Health, in a statement. “His intention to provide a lasting contribution to the care of children – Delaware’s children foremost among them – is fulfilled in the modern hospital that stands today. As an inventor and a maverick, we believe Mr. duPont would be intrigued by the notion of redefining health and proud that Nemours is serving as a model for innovation in pediatric health care delivery.”
In conjunction with the Delaware name change, the parent organization will also shorten its name to just Nemours Children’s Health starting in August. The Nemours Foundation will retain the official name of the umbrella funding organization.
The news was shared during a virtual Founder’s Day event commemorating Alfred I. du Pont’s philanthropic legacy supporting children’s health and marking the launch of a new five-year strategic plan. The name changes will create a unified brand across the health care system’s five-state footprint, which aside from the Wilmington-area hospital also includes a Orlando, Fla., hospital that will be known as Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida.
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Dr. R. Lawrence Moss | PHOTO COURTESY OF NEMOURS[/caption]
“Nemours’ new strategy is designed to achieve our vision of creating the healthiest generation of children,” said Dr. R. Lawrence Moss, president and CEO of Nemours Children’s Health, in a statement announcing the move.
Moss said that Nemours will seek to “fundamentally change the way America cares for kids” by working with public, private, governmental, and community partners to address the social determinants of health through a holistic approach. It’s coining this approach a “Loop of Care.”
The intent is to focus on preventative care, as an estimated 80% of a child’s health determinants come outside of health care settings. Nemours will increase investments in that goal, including enhancing its entire child health model of care, moving to value, creating and advocating for a national strategy for children's health, innovating health delivery system research, and leveraging clinical expertise.
“Nemours is committed to taking a leadership role in health care transformation by advocating for a pay-for-health model. This platform impacts children in the communities we serve as well as those who may never enter our doors,” Moss said. “We must align our health system’s collective expertise, community partnerships, and operations to accomplish this lofty goal.”
