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National Jewish changes its name

Switch signals hospital's focus on prevention

By Joyzelle Davis, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published July 10, 2008 at 9:05 p.m.

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Dr. Mursheda Ali tests protein at National Jewish Health. The hospital is expanding into weight-loss counseling centers, sleep treatment and heart research.

Photo by George Kochaniecjr. / The Rocky

Dr. Mursheda Ali tests protein at National Jewish Health. The hospital is expanding into weight-loss counseling centers, sleep treatment and heart research.

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National Jewish Medical and Research Center on Thursday rebranded itself as National Jewish Health to signal the hospital's new focus on preventive and personalized medicine.

The new moniker comes as National Jewish, world-renowned as a respiratory treatment center, embarks on an ambitious strategic plan to double annual patient visits to 70,000 within five years, boost research activities by $60 million and recruit more than 100 physicians and scientists.

National Jewish also unveiled a new blue and orange logo and brand: Science Transforming Life.

"As we implement our 10-year strategic plan, we are growing beyond the concept of a traditional medical and research center," said Dr. Michael Salem, National Jewish's president and CEO.

U.S. News & World Report recently ranked National Jewish as the top respiratory hospital in the nation for the 11th straight year.

National Jewish's strategic plan aims to preserve the center's position as a global leader in immune and respiratory disease treatment while expanding into other areas that will provide steady revenue streams outside volatile research grants and charitable donations.

In the past year, the hospital has expanded its tobacco-cessation programs to new clients and added a weight-management coaching line.

The hospital is also focusing on so-called personalized medicine, which means using genetics and other specific patient information to create a customized approach to diagnosis and treatment.

Charitable donations still are crucial to the hospital. Contributions of $24.4 million in 2007 were the third-biggest source of revenue after patient services and research grants.

Revenues from patient visits increased 11.3 percent to $49.1 million, while grant revenue slipped 5 percent to $46.4 million, compared with 2006.

Like most academic medical centers, National Jewish's research funds have been pinched by recent cutbacks at the National Institutes of Health, the federal agency primarily responsible for biomedical research.

But the surge in donations, investment income gains and patient visits offset that decline, helping the hospital to finish its strongest financial performance in history with net assets increasing to $19.6 million from $8.8 million, according to National Jewish's annual report for its fiscal year ended June 2007.

Evolving names

National Jewish, located at the corner of East Colfax Avenue and Colorado Boulevard, has changed its name six times in the center's 109-year history:

* 1899 The National Jewish Hospital for Consumptives

* 1925 National Jewish Hospital at Denver

* 1965 National Jewish Hospital and Research Center

* 1978 National Jewish Hospital/National Asthma Center

* 1985 National Center for Immunology and Respiratory Medicine

* 1997 National Jewish Medical and Research Center

* 2008 National Jewish Health

Comments

  • July 11, 2008

    3:14 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    LOUIE writes:

    Every year there is a large gathering of the who's who, that get together and raise money for this hospital. Our family has always enjoyed contributing our time and money to assist the needs of this great hospital. The head of my family, used to throw a large diamond into a big pile of cubic zirconia (fake stones), and for 100 dollars challenge the public to select the diamond from the pile. All the proceeds went to the charity. It is a great hospital, and worthy of charitable intrests.