Mt. Lebanon hospital rebrands as St. Clair Health
After nearly seven decades, St. Clair Hospital is now St. Clair Health.
The South Hills hospital isn’t just a Mt. Lebanon hospital, which opened in 1954 and has grown to a 329-bed hospital with 600 physicians and 2,500 employees. It has grown to also include three outpatient centers in the South Hills, including the new Dunlap Family Outpatient Center that will soon open connected to the hospital itself.
Why rebrand? Because, health system executives say, the name “St. Clair Hospital” doesn’t encompass everything the organization has become in the past 67 years.
“It’s about the evolution of who we have become,” said Lindsay Meucci, VP of marketing, communications and advocacy at St. Clair Health.
“Thinking back 67 years ago, the founders started a 100-bed hospital, and they never could have imagined where St. Clair would be in 2021,” said James M. Collins, president and CEO of St. Clair Health.
St. Clair is known for its award-winning levels of patient care and safety, annually winning top grades from Leapfrog and other national rankings including the top ranking, five stars, from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. It is one of Watson Health’s 100 Top Hospitals in the U.S. and is the only local affiliate of the Mayo Clinic and the Mayo Clinic Care Network.
The rebranding also comes with a new tagline: “Expert care from people who care.”
“We wanted to stay true to our connection to the community and the patient-first experience we provide and showcase our expert physicians, our commitment to technology and our partnership with the Mayo Clinic,” Meucci said.
Dr. John Sullivan, chief medical officer, said the high level of commitment to the community, the quality of the team and the execution was what drew him to St. Clair when he joined as CMO three years ago. He said the focus on people, evidence-based practices and efficient processes have continued and those key elements of in-patient and emergency care are delivered in patient-centric outpatient care.
“This organization has come a long way, and it’s exciting to think about where St. Clair will be in the future,” said Collins.
Part of that future is the Dunlap Family Outpatient Center, a $152 million, 280,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility that will serve as the main campus’ place for outpatient surgeries and procedures. It’s the largest expansion at the hospital in four decades, and it will house the growth in outpatient volumes that has seen a 130% increase since 2006. Named after Anna and Ed Dunlap, the founder of CentiMark, and started with a gift from the Dunlaps, the project was also helped by strong support from the community. The capital fundraising campaign, which was targeted for $28 million, raised over $42 million. That was a testament to the dedication and appreciation of St. Clair by the community.
“To achieve essentially 150% of the original target is tremendous, and we had donations both large and small,” Collins said.
The Dunlap Family Outpatient Center, which will have a ribbon cutting in May, was completed on time even despite the Covid-19 pandemic. The pandemic, while it initially impacted revenues at St. Clair Health, hasn’t had a lasting financial impact. Collins said the system was essentially where it was financially before the pandemic.
“We’re very satisfied with the position we’re in,” Collins said. “St. Clair was a very strong institution financially going into this project, and as we complete the project, I fully expect St. Clair is going to continue to be a very strong institution.”
By – Paul J. Gough – Reporter, Pittsburgh Business Times