Murrieta, Wildomar Hospitals Undergo Name Changes

SOUTHWEST RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — For decades, Southwest Riverside County residents called Wildomar's sole hospital "Inland Valley Medical Center," and the Murrieta hospital on Medical Center Drive was known as "Rancho Springs Medical Center."

Those names are changing — and so are their logos and signage.

"'Medical center' is an old term that came about 25-30 years ago," explained Brian Connors, spokesperson for Southwest Healthcare. "When people hear 'medical center,' they usually think of doctors' offices."

But Inland Valley and Rancho Springs are hospitals, hence the need for an update. The new names are Southwest Healthcare Inland Valley Hospital and Southwest Healthcare Rancho Springs Hospital.

Both remain part of Southwest Healthcare, which falls under the Pennsylvania-based Universal Health Services umbrella.

Corona Regional Medical Center, Palmdale Regional Medical Center, Temecula Valley Hospital in Temecula, Riverside Medical Clinic (seven locations), Temecula Valley Day Surgery in Murrieta, and A+ Urgent Care Centers in Menifee, Lake Elsinore and Murrieta are also part of the Southwest Healthcare "regional" brand. None of these other facilities, however, are undergoing name changes, Connors said.

Still, there are marketing efforts underway to reinforce the Southwest Healthcare network synergy.

The rebranding and "unification positions us as a robust care delivery network in our communities while establishing a strong brand that people will soon come to know and trust as a significant healthcare leader here in Southern California,” Brad Neet, group vice president for Universal Health Services, said in a released statement last month. “We want to enable the communities we serve to associate the services offered at our various locations and see us today — and with further growth in the future — as an esteemed, affiliated network of care.”

According to UHS, the new logo for the Southwest Healthcare brand — which is currently being implemented across the area — "reflects the network’s emphasis on teamwork, with the rows of dots in a circle representing how all the various parts of Southwest Healthcare operate together in harmony, while highlighting how our network will connect people to needed healthcare services."

Despite the new nomenclature, residents won't get lost if looking for the "old" Inland Valley Medical Center or Rancho Springs Medical Center. Online search engines will still find these names and point people to the correct locations, Connors said.

Rebranding is not all that's happening at the local hospitals.

Both Inland Valley and Rancho Springs hospitals are undergoing multimillion-dollar expansions. Inland Valley's $333 million upgrade includes a new seven-story, 290,000-square-foot hospital tower that will accommodate 202 beds at the 36485 Inland Valley Drive site. The Rancho Springs expansion at 25500 Medical Center Drive focuses on women’s and children’s services with the aim of establishing, in conjunction with Rady Children’s Hospital, the first pediatric inpatient unit in the region. Read more here.

Temecula Valley Hospital at 31700 Temecula Parkway is also undergoing major renovations.