St. Joseph Health System, a 14-hospital health system serving California, west Texas and eastern New Mexico, has changed its name to St. Joseph Health. This new identity heralds the organization's strategic transformation toward comprehensive health care delivery.

"We believe that this new name embraces the spirit of our new networks of care, which focus not just on hospitals, but on the broader delivery of health care through our medical groups, outpatient services and other health care programs. The new name focuses on what is truly important and unites all of our entities – the overall health of our communities," said Deborah Proctor, president and CEO of St. Joseph Health.

In the weeks ahead, a multimedia messaging campaign will tell the story of an organization that views the health of its communities as a unique calling – as a sacred trust. In fact, the doctors and staff of St. Joseph Health believe every moment of good health has special meaning – or, as is expressed in St. Joseph Health's new messaging, "Every moment matters."

The organization began its transformation to networks of care several years ago when it committed to embracing both an illness and wellness model – not just hospitals for treating the ill or injured, but a more integrated continuum of services for the community. The challenge now is to let the people and partners in our communities know of the changes and ways the organization is extending its mission, hence the need to tell the story of this transformation through a new identity.

"It's important to note that we are changing our name, but the mission of our founders, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange, remains the same," Proctor said. "Our dedication to extending the healing ministry of Jesus is very much at the heart of all that we do."

The roots of the health care organization date back 100 years to 1912 when a handful of Midwestern religious women, the Sisters of St. Joseph, traveled across the country to open a school and eventually a small hospital in the lumber town of Eureka, Calif. From these humble beginnings, St. Joseph Health has now become a $4.2 billion, 14-hospital system offering health care services that are among the best in the nation, while caring for patients and families in three states. Collectively, the organization has 3,753 licensed beds, 19,672 employees, 6,600 physicians and cares for more than 138,000 inpatients and 3.5 million outpatients annually.

Hospitals in Northern California include:

· St. Joseph Health, Petaluma Valley (Petaluma)

· St. Joseph Health, Queen of the Valley (Napa)

· St. Joseph Health, St. Joseph Hospital (Eureka)

· St. Joseph Health, Redwood Memorial (Fortuna)

· St. Joseph Health, Santa Rosa Memorial (Santa Rosa)

Hospitals in Southern California include:

· St. Joseph Health, Mission Hospital (Mission Viejo and Laguna Beach)

· St. Joseph Health, St. Joseph Hospital (Orange)

· St. Joseph Health, St. Jude Medical Center (Fullerton)

· St. Joseph Health, St. Mary (Apple Valley)

Covenant Health includes five hospitals serving west Texas and eastern New Mexico.