ASHLAND / HAYWARD, WI -- Memorial Medical Center (MMC) and Hayward Area Memorial Hospital (HAMH) are thrilled to announce a new parent brand. Over the last few years, the organizations have been working on rebranding efforts to better align the two medical centers under one health system name. They will soon be Ashland Medical Center and Hayward Medical Center and together they are becoming Tamarack Health.
The Tamarack Health name comes from the tamarack tree. Also known as the “nurse tree,” the tamarack produces shelter so that other plants can thrive. It does not follow the same pattern as other evergreens but turns bright yellow every fall before dropping its needles. Like the tamarack, Ashland Medical Center and Hayward Medical Center don’t follow a path set by other systems. They have been and will remain independent, locally-led, with local governance and decision-making through a board of directors who live and work in the communities.
“Being able to maintain local decision-making about what healthcare is, what it means, and how it gets delivered is very important,” said Jason Douglas, CEO of MMC. “Healthcare is personal. That personal care and our commitment to address the needs of our community will continue to be our focus.”
“The strength of both our organizations is our people”, says Luke Beirl, CEO of HAMH. “Every single person in our collective organizations believes that individualized care is what makes us who we are. Being unified allows us the independence to care for the unique needs of the people in our respective communities.”
The names and logos are changing, however; they will continue to offer all the same services and providers that you know and trust. The two hospitals already share some specialists and providers who travel between Ashland and Hayward to see patients. The closer alignment between the two hospitals will allow them to offer more healthcare services to communities in the region.
As part of the expanding efforts, the organizations saw the opportunity to bring their expert care to the Twin Ports region. This led to the opening of a new specialty outreach clinic under the name Tamarack Health Superior Clinic. The clinic is located at 3631 Tower Ave. in Superior and will start as an orthopedic outreach clinic on October 4, 2023. Patients who have surgery scheduled in Ashland can now schedule their pre-op and post-op care in Superior, thus eliminating some travel time. In the coming months, additional outreach consult services will be added, including general surgery, pain management, and urology. Initially, outreach services will be billed under Memorial Medical Center, but over time, patients will begin to see the new Tamarack Health name on those bills.
As a unified health system with locations in the northern region of Wisconsin, Tamarack Health will stay strong and rooted in our communities and will continue to strive to deliver personalized, high-quality care to their patients.
For more information about Tamarack Health, visit tamarackhealth.org.
[Photo Caption: Luke Beirl, CEO of HAMH (left) and Jason Douglas, CEO of MMC (right).]
Last Update: Sep 12, 2023 11:48 am CDT
