BILLINGS, Mont. - Yellowstone City–County Health Department announced today that is changing its name, effective immediately, to RiverStone Health. "Over the years we’ve grown and evolved and, fundamentally, become a new organization," said Lil Anderson, president & chief executive officer/health officer of RiverStone Health. "The new organization needed a new name."
Yellowstone City–County Health Department will remain the legal name but RiverStone Health, a DBA, will be the organization’s public face.
Anderson said that what is now RiverStone Health evolved from a small adjunct of county government to a multi-jurisdictional health service district that provides a broad spectrum of services — from providing immunization, home-health nursing and hospice services to a family medical residency program to environmental and public health services. Over the past several years, the organization has grown at a tremendous pace, adding services to meet the needs of the community. The organization’s budget, which is derived largely from fees and grants, has increased from $17.5 million in fiscal year 2004–2005 to nearly $30 million today.
As a result of the growth, the organization had many services that each had their own name and a visual identity that was not connected to the health department. Anderson said the proliferation of identities was confusing. "We were victims, in a good way, of our own success," said Anderson.
Research showed that the old name had low recognition, which added to the confusion. "Now people seeking health services will only need to know one name," said Anderson.
The Board of Health, which governs the organization, and executive leadership at RiverStone Health had long anticipated a change of name. The change was one of the final steps in a branding initiative that the organization began more than two years ago.
"I’m proud that our community board provided the leadership in the branding process," said Douglass Carr, MD, chairman of the Board of Health and medical director of education and system initiatives at the Billings Clinic. "They understood that a brand is more than a color or logo, but a journey that helps an organization discover its identity and core purpose."
RiverStone Health still provides the wide array of services that were provided through the health department and will continue to assess community need to determine opportunities for other services to be added in the future.
The services provided through RiverStone Health are grouped into four categories conveniently organized under the acronym HELP—for Health, Education, Leadership and Protection. One of RiverStone Health’s strengths is the ability to help people connect to the health services they require—whether those services are provided by RiverStone Health or another organization. "As we move forward, I believe that people will realize that RiverStone Health has something for everyone," said Carr.
RiverStone Health’s new website www.riverstonehealth.org will help people connect to the services they need.
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About RiverStone Health
RiverStone Health is a major player in the health-services arena in Yellowstone County and southeastern Montana. The organization provides communities with Health, Education, Leadership and Protection (HELP). By connecting people to quality health services, RiverStone Health helps individuals and communities lead better lives. For more information, visit www.riverstonehealth.org. |