Dennis Verzi, COO of Catholic Health, formerly known as Catholic Health Services of Long Island, details the strategy behind the rebranding and why faith plays a pivotal role in the health system.
What’s in a name? For Catholic Health, quite a bit.
The Catholic health system headquartered in Rockville Centre, New York recently underwent a rebranding effort, shortening its name from Catholic Health Services of Long Island and receiving a new logo.
Dennis Verzi, COO of Catholic Health spoke with HealthLeaders about the strategy behind the rebranding, and why faith plays a pivotal role in the health system.
"When you look at the goals of the rebranding … we have six hospitals within the system, three nursing homes, home healthcare, hospice, and a large agency to take care of developmentally disabled adults and children," Verzi said. "In each of the geographic markets, the individual hospitals have good local recognition. From a system perspective, we wanted to increase consumer awareness, particularly in Long Island, of the system brand and recognizing … all the operating entities as part of Catholic Health."
When changing the name, Verzi said the health system wanted to make sure it "kept the faith" in the branding.
"Catholic is who we are and why we exist," Verzi said. "From the very beginning, there was no question when we thought up what the new name should be."
Catholic Health's new logo. Photo courtesy of Catholic Health.
The new logo, which was created in collaboration with the Diocese of Rockville Centre, consists of faith-based and humanitarian imagery.
"The new logo is rather ingenious and creative," Verzi said. He explained that the logo has multiple meanings. From a Catholic of Christian perspective, it is made up of a chalice and the cross, and the outstretched arms represent the Holy Trinity.
From a secular perspective, the logo also looks “like a person with outstretched arms; a welcoming symbol, as we welcome everybody… of all faiths," he said.
Verzi reiterated that the health system is driven by faith.
"Our faith drives our mission, and our mission drives our business and our care platform,” he said. “The Catholic Church firmly believes in the sanctity of all human life and the dignity of every person, and that fits us well. We're not just providing sick care when people are sick … we also keep them well."
In early February, nearly two dozen Catholic Health systems joined the Catholic Health Association of the United States in signing the Confronting Racism by Achieving Health Equity pledge to confront systemic racism and achieve health equity.
While the organization hadn't signed the pledge at that time, Catholic Health is continuing their focus on health equity and fulfilling their mission to help the underserved, according to Verzi.
The health system is also shifting into population health, emphasizing “health and wellness preventative care, and bringing our services into the community," Verzi explained.
“While the health system has expanded of the last couple of years, there are "aggressive plans to increase [it] further," he said.
Additionally, the health system's new brand reflects that aim.
"We look at [it] from both vantage points, [as] a good business decision and the mission to serve a gift with population health and wellness," Verzi said.
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Melanie Blackman is a contributing editor for strategy, marketing, and human resources at HealthLeaders, an HCPro brand.