Tuomey to be renamed Prisma Health Tuomey

Sumter's Tuomey just got a makeover.

Palmetto Health and Greenville Health System announced their merger late last year and announced on Tuesday their new official brand, Prisma Health, which the systems will unite under in early 2019. Campuses and hospitals will retain their core name identities, meaning the hospital in Sumter will be called Prisma Health Tuomey instead of its current Palmetto Health Tuomey.

SC Health has been serving as an interim name for the company since the merger was announced, and affiliates originally planned to retain their existing brands, according to Prisma Health Co-CEO Charles Beaman Jr. Over time and with input from leaders, physicians, team members, patients and community members, uniting under a new brand was necessary to "become a single-health company with a unified culture."

"We're poised for great change. With a motivated 30,000-team-member workforce, we're confident we will continue to make strides to improve clinical quality, access to care and the patient experience for South Carolinians while addressing the rising cost of health care."

Officials with Prisma Health, a not-for-profit locally governed parent company of the local affiliates that include Tuomey, Baptist, Greenville Memorial, Laurens County and Richland hospitals, said they think the name and logo "distinguish Prisma Health from traditional health care systems and signal its intent to look at health, and health care, in a completely new way."

Beaman said more than 200 individuals participated in evaluating names and the logo. Starting with more than 1,000 names and coming across copyright obstacles, they decided to make up the word "prisma" and incorporate "beams of light" into its design.

"It's progressive. It's beautiful. It's innovative in many, many different ways," he said.

He said retaining the local hospital names, like Tuomey, was important because that is the part patients identify with.

"From the Upstate to the Midlands, we want our communities to see that Prisma Health name and know they can always turn to us for a personalized experience of high-quality, compassionate care," Palmetto Health President John Singerling said. "By unifying under one shared name, we will make it easier for our patients and their families to understand who we are and what we do when they need our services."

Singerling said the brand experience of Prisma Health both moves the company forward and "honors the legacy that got us to this point."

As part of the new identity, the current Palmetto Health and Greenville Health System brands, including names and logos, will be retired in early 2019. Both affiliates have also replaced their mission, vision and values statements to a new "purpose statement."

"We are excited that all of our team members are coming together with one common goal," Singerling said. "Inspire health. Serve with compassion. Be the difference."

One thing that will not change is staffing, Beaman said. The company does not plan to cut any staff members or facilities, though officials may look to acquire "additional opportunities" in the future. There are no current immediate plans to acquire acute care facilities.

"Although much is changing, much will remain the same, including both the Upstate and Midlands' affiliates longstanding dedication to patient care, unwavering commitment to their communities and a strong focus on academics and clinical research," Prisma Health co-CEO Michael Riordan said.

Palmetto Health-USC Medical Group, a joint venture between the Midlands affiliate of Prisma Health and the USC School of Medicine, will be renamed Prisma Health-USC Medical Group in late 2019.

Prisma Health is the largest not-for-profit health organization in the state, serving more than 1.2 million patients annually and employing more than 30,000 team members.