Just 'Hutcheson': Hospital gets new name

photo People exit Erlanger at Hutcheson in Fort Oglethorpe, Ga., in this file photo.

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

* Erlanger Health System is named for Baroness Marguerite Mathilde Slidell d'Erlanger, wife of Baron Frederic Emilie d'Erlanger, who held financial interests in railroads of the Chattanooga region and donated the money to found the hospital in 1889.* Hutcheson Medical Center is named for Rossville philanthropist John L. Hutcheson, the late founder and chairman of Peerless Woolen Mills.Sources: Newspaper archives, Erlanger Health System

Some names just don't stick.

Despite efforts to re-brand Hutcheson Medical Center as Erlanger at Hutcheson, the new moniker boasted in the logo developed in 2011 never really caught on.

The North Georgia hospital's new-new logo embraces the name the community knows the hospital by: It simply reads "Hutcheson," with "Erlanger Health System" beneath.

Erlanger's stamp on the brand still is clear. "Hutcheson" is spelled out in the blue Erlanger font, and is joined by Erlanger's trademark gold flower.

The evolution of Hutcheson's name, logo and brand reflects the developing relationship between the two hospitals.

Erlanger, which entered into a management agreement with Hutcheson in 2011, recently approved a letter of intent to lease the hospital for at least 10 years.

"The hospital and its board of directors understand that the community values its separate identity but wants to be part of Erlanger," said Nathalie Strickland, spokeswoman for Hutcheson officials. "So it was decided that the Hutcheson name should continue to be a significant part of the brand."

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The decision was made late last year, she said.

Though hospital officials announced the "Erlanger at Hutcheson" change in 2011 with a news conference, balloons and a formal reveal of the new sign, the hospital's name has technically never really changed.

It can legally operate under both "Hutcheson Medical Center" and "Erlanger at Hutcheson," Strickland said.

Contact staff writer Kate Harrison at kharrison@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6673.

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