Alexian, Adventist choose Amita Health as new name
The board of the joint operating company formed by Adventist Midwest Health and Alexian Brothers Health System has chosen the name Amita Health for its newly integrated health system, the third-largest health system in Illinois.
Amita Health includes nine hospitals and a network of more than 3,000 physicians serving the West and Northwest suburbs, the systems said in a joint news release.
As part of the name announcement, Amita Health is debuting a series of television and radio ads on Chicago-area stations. There also is a new website, Amitahealth.org.
"This name marks a new beginning firmly rooted in our faith traditions and our past accomplishments," said Mark A. Frey, president and CEO of Amita Health. "The name is our promise to deliver the most efficient, high-quality, faith-based care."
After legal and regulatory approvals, the two systems entered into the joint operating company on Feb. 1. The nonbinding letter of intent to form the JOC was announced in June 2014 and the definitive agreement was announced in October 2014.
Adventist Midwest Health is part of Adventist Health System in Altamonte Springs, Fla., and Alexian Brothers Health System is part of Ascension, the largest nonprofit health system in the U.S. and the world's largest Catholic health system.
"Ascension is our parent company, nothing changes there," said spokesman Matt Wakely.
The name Amita was is taken because of its meaning in several languages: friendship in Italian, honesty and truth in Hebrew and spiritual light and boundlessness in Hindi, reflecting the organization's core values of friendship, truth and mutual respect, as well as its faith-based call to healing, the groups said in a joint release.
Amita Health was chosen after an extensive process that began during the early stages of discussions between the two organizations. The process included interviews of many randomly chosen associates and patients from both Adventist and Alexian, as well as board members of both organizations and their foundations and religious leaders.
•Daily Herald Business Writer Anna Marie Kukec contributed to this report.