OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — Truman Medical Centers will officially change its name to University Health beginning Friday.
University Health consists of two hospitals: one in the Health Sciences District, otherwise known as Hospital Hill, of Kansas City, Missouri, and one in eastern Jackson County, Missouri. Those individual hospitals will be referred to as University Health Truman Medical Center and University Health Lakewood Medical Center, respectively. The system as a whole is now simply University Health.
The name change is intended to highlight the health system’s commitment as an academic medical center.
Hospital leadership feel the name change will help patients, community members and others understand the unique partnership University Health has with University of Missouri-Kansas City. UMKC’s schools of medicine, nursing, pharmacy and dentistry all partner with University Health.
“If you’re a patient, it means great care,” Charlie Shields, president and CEO of University Health, said. “Particularly on the physician side, you’re getting cared for by the doctors who train the doctors of the future. That’s exciting. You know you’re going to get absolutely the best care, cutting-edge research, it’s the right place to come particularly for more complicated, more serious disease states and accidents. We’re very proud of that.”
The University Health logo uses the same blue and gold colors as UMKC, but Shields said there is no financial partnership between the two institutions.
Prior to the name change, Truman Medical Centers had earned a reputation as Kansas City’s essential and safety-net hospital. Shields said that part of the hospital system’s mission will not change with the new name.
“Whether you have the best insurance card or no insurance card, it’s the same great care and we’re very, very proud of that,” Shields said. “That’s the commitment we made to this community over 50 years and we’re very excited to continue that commitment.”
The system employs about 5,000 people. UMKC regularly has about 600 students in its schools of health sciences who are connected to University Health throughout their college careers with on-site teaching labs and other opportunities.
Upon graduation, many of those students conduct their residencies at University Health.
