Today Wake Forest Baptist Health and Atrium Health unveiled their strategic combination’s new brand that reflects and acknowledges both the importance of each regional organization’s current brand as well as Wake Forest Baptist’s and Atrium Health’s joined commitment to be the pre-eminent health care provider and learning health system in North Carolina.
“This is another milestone in our journey to come together for the benefit of our patients and the communities we serve,” said Julie Ann Freischlag, MD, CEO of Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, dean of Wake Forest School of Medicine and chief academic officer, Atrium Health. “We were pleased we were able to retain our legacy brand which is so important to our region, to Winston-Salem and to our affiliation with Wake Forest University. At the same time, we see our exciting future ahead of us. More of our students will become the health care providers of the next generation. Together, with our colleagues within Atrium Health, we will create new care protocols and innovations that change what health care looks like for those who count on us for their care as well as those in our underserved communities who have limited or no access to health care, food, housing and other resources. This is our commitment to our regions.”
“Through our combination with Wake Forest Baptist and Wake Forest School of Medicine, we have embarked on a new journey to redefine how care is delivered to our rural and urban communities alike throughout North Carolina and beyond," said Eugene A. Woods, president and CEO of Atrium Health. “And what we have already experienced in our first year together – especially as we continue to collectively battle this pandemic – is that we are a much stronger organization as one. Whether through sharing the best clinical practices, launching a second campus of Wake Forest School of Medicine or discovering new cures, today's announcement of our new Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist brand is a tremendous milestone in our quest to be the national destination for care."
The new Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist brand comes after a great amount of collaborative work that has occurred as a result of the combination of the two organizations. Investments have been made by Atrium Health in Wake Forest Baptist and Wake Forest School of Medicine in Winston-Salem and the school’s new campus to be built in Charlotte. All told, this amounts to a combined $700 million investment in the region by Atrium Health, which is part of a $3.4 billion pledge by Atrium Health over 10 years.
“People in the North Central and Western North Carolina will soon see our new brand rolled out in advertising and marketing materials, followed by signage and other types of branding in all locations over the next year,” said Denise Potter, vice president and chief communications, marketing and media officer, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist. “The brand carries the Atrium Health Tree of Life logo, which represents the enterprise’s commitments and mission, as a symbol of hope and rejuvenation, preservation and regeneration of life. Each tree branch represents a guiding principle that our teammates strive to provide when serving and enriching our communities: gentleness, generosity, humility, prudence, wisdom, kindness, loyalty and courage in everything we do.”
Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist employs more than 20,000 teammates, which includes nearly 3,000 physicians, more than 1,300 faculty and 1,000 students. These teammates are part of Atrium Health’s 70,000 teammates across the enterprise.
Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Media contacts:
Paula Faria, pfaria@wakehealth.edu
Joe McCloskey, jmcclosk@wakehealth.edu
Atrium Health Media contacts:
Chris Berger, chris.berger@atriumhealth.org
Dan Fogleman, Dan.Fogleman@atriumhealth.org