Dear Colleagues:
As we approach the integration of UW Medical Center and Northwest Hospital into one hospital with two campuses, one of the most frequently asked questions is what the campuses will be called.
Naming would appear relatively simple; however, many factors go into consideration, including an organization’s history, geographic location, ownership and affiliations, along with what its current position is and what future role it will play in the communities it serves.
Based on the above considerations, on January 1, 2020:
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- Northwest Hospital and UW Medical Center will become one licensed hospital – UW Medical Center.
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- Northwest Hospital & Medical Center will become UW Medical Center – Northwest. “Northwest” has a 60-year history of name recognition in the surrounding community, and many felt it was important to maintain that connection.
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- The original UW Medical Center will be called UW Medical Center – Montlake. “Montlake” is widely used in relation to the University of Washington and its surrounding neighborhood (e.g., Montlake Cut, Montlake Bridge). Staff and others felt that “Montlake” resonated with them as a descriptor for the present location of UW Medical Center.
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- Similar to what is reflected on Northwest Hospital’s current signage, the main Northwest campus as a whole and the 11 acres adjacent to the I-5 freeway both will be called the UW Medicine – Northwest Campus.
Our integration teams are currently working on plans for interior and exterior signage as well as how to accommodate the name changes in our billing systems, electronic health record, payroll systems, patient materials and many other areas.
If you have questions about the naming, please feel free to direct them to nwh2uwmc@uw.edu, and we’ll get an answer to you promptly.
Sincerely,
Lisa Brandenburg
Chief Health System Officer
UW Medicine
