WINDBER — New names and logos unveiled this week represent the future of Windber Medical Center and Windber Research Institute, while celebrating the organizations’ heritage, leaders say.
Windber Medical Center is operating as Chan Soon-Shiong Medical Center at Windber. Windber Research Institute is now the Chan Soon-Shiong Institute of Molecular Medicine at Windber.
Both nonprofit organizations remain intact, but control has been transferred from local boards of directors to an international nonprofit network under its founder and chairman, Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong.
“We are honored that Dr. Patrick and Michelle Soon-Shiong chose to put their family names on our organizations,” said Tom Kurtz, president and CEO of both Windber facilities.
“Doing so allows us to continue as a not-for-profit community hospital.”
In August, Windber Medical Center and Windber Research Institute announced the two would transfer control into Chan Soon-Shiong Institute of Molecular Medicine.
Less than two weeks after Soon-Shiong assumed control in January, he announced Windber would play important roles in his Cancer MoonShot 2020 collaboration, exploring new approaches to oncology.
Windber’s tissue bank will be a key part of the research component of clinical trials comparing different agents and combinations of agents for cancer treatment.
The Windber hospital will introduce an oncology program to participate in the clinical trials.
Both organizations will serve as models for other community and rural hospitals across the country joining the National Community Hospital Consortium to be part of the National Immunotherapy Initiative, Soon-Shiong said in March.
The new names and logos celebrate that vision, Kurtz said.
“We embrace the name change, as it represents the history and symbolizes that this isn’t the Windber Medical Center of old,” Kurtz said.
“We are proud of the history of this organization, but we are ready for a rebirth.”
Original Tribune-Democrat article by Randy Griffith available here: http://www.tribdem.com/news/windber-hospital-institute-renamed/article_2b06acea-27af-11e6-8e46-478d17f8a7e9.html