SALISBURY, Md.- The now former Peninsula Regional Health System announced Tuesday its new name: TidalHealth.
Tidalhealth said the name was chosen after months of research through interviews with patients and staff of the entities that make up TidalHealth – Peninsula Regional and Nanticoke hospitals; the McCready, Ocean Pines and Millsboro Health Pavilion; the many specialty and primary care offices of its affiliated provider network; and the providers of services such as laboratory and radiology.
“We spent countless hours talking with patients, physicians and employees to gain an intimate knowledge of our community so that we could discover a common identity and create something larger that best meets the needs of those we serve,” said Steve Leonard, TidalHealth president and CEO. “Throughout the process, we have come to realize three key points about our health system: Quality is our constant. Special is our signature. Community is our core. We are better together and the community must feel it. Just as the tides shape our waterways, we are shaping healthcare on Delmarva.”
TidalHealth said the new identity allows community members, as well as staff, to have a better sense of the scope of services offered across the health system. It also conveys the shared roots, values and culture of the organization.
The hospitals will retain some of the identity ingrained in the community for, in the case of Peninsula Regional, more than 100 years. They have been renamed TidalHealth Peninsula Regional and TidalHealth Nanticoke.
“The tides are embedded deeply in the history of Seaford – and all of Delmarva, a peninsula crisscrossed by waterways and surrounded by ocean and bay. The tides are a constant in our culture,” said Penny Short, president of TidalHealth Nanticoke.
“Commonality of culture – not just in heritage, but in dedication to patient safety and to care for the communities we serve – is what drove Nanticoke to choose to join forces with the Peninsula Regional Health System last year. Our greater, combined force is reflected in our new identity as TidalHealth.”
Peninsula Regional Medical Group, the Nanticoke Physician Network, Delmarva Heart and Peninsula Cardiology have officially joined under the new name TidalHealth Medical Partners. Officials said the physician groups have united in a shared mission: to improve the health of the communities they serve.
“By coming together, we’re making it easier for every person on Delmarva to find care where and when they need it,” said Karin DiBari, MD, who will oversee the network of physician and specialty offices as President of TidalHealth Medical Partners. “It is essential for every person to have a provider who will be with them on their health journey, helping them to stay well, and providing care and guidance when they are sick.”
TidalHealth said that for patients, the change will be seamless – and will make care even more accessible. Patients will be able to rely on the same providers in the same offices. Appointments that have been previously scheduled will not change. What patients of the new physician group might find, though, is that they now have an office or specialty practice, medical campus or doctor closer to them and more conveniently located because of the collaboration.
“The name on the doors may change, but our commitment to the health of our community remains consistent,” Leonard said. “We know that with this new identity, we can continue to care for the people of Delmarva for generations to come.”
In related news Tuesday, TidalHealth announced the Peninsula Regional Medical Group and the Nanticoke Physician Network have officially joined under the new name TidalHealth Medical Partners. B
“As we unite, we’ve assembled a team that is the best in our field, poised for success and based on the shared goals, values and outcomes that provide TidalHealth patients with an experience designed to exceed their healthcare expectations,” said Karin DiBari, MD, MMM, FACOG, president of TidalHealth Medical Partners.
TidalHealth said that for patients, the change will be seamless. They will still be able to see the same provider(s) and in the same offices. Those offices, though, will have new names. For instance, cardiology practices are now called TidalHealth Cardiology, pulmonology services renamed TidalHealth Pulmonology. Patients will see this reflected across all of our 29 locations with a new identity that speaks to the TidalHealth family and the office specialty.
Appointments that have been previously scheduled will not change. What patients of the new physician group might find, though, is that they now have an office or specialty practice, medical campus or doctor closer to them and more conveniently located because of the collaboration. Patients will also notice that correspondences with them, including billing statements, will now be under the TidalHealth name. Patients may also receive an automated call or email from NRC Health on behalf of TidalHealth, asking about the service they received. Patient feedback is appreciated, officials said.
TidalHealth said its medical practice family is over 780 employees strong, featuring approximately 250 providers (doctors, physician assistants and nurse practitioners), all dedicated to patient-focused care in 21 different specialties at 29 different locations across Wicomico, Worcester, Somerset, Sussex and Caroline counties.
In addition to the network of primary and specialty care providers, Tidal Health Intermediate Care has three locations open seven days a week for urgent care.
“It is essential for every person to have a provider who will be with them on their health journey, helping them to stay well, and providing care and guidance when they are sick. We will continue to be with patients every step of the way, whenever they need us. We are proud to bring together that expertise and personalized care to all of the communities we serve,” DiBari said.
Delaware physician offices previously affiliated with Nanticoke are still affiliated with it, and have access to all of the outstanding services offered at the hospital now known as TidalHealth Nanticoke. Additionally, patients are also now linked, in network, with TidalHealth Peninsula Regional and all of the additional options, like neurosurgery and cardiothoracic surgery, available at the Salisbury hospital that are not offered in Seaford.
“Even separate, the two provider groups had a strong culture of networking and providing the best possible care at the least possible cost to patients,” added DiBari. “Together, that bond and commitment is even stronger and extends our reach even closer to patients’ homes to provide seamless, integrated and world-class care.”
