RMH Healthcare to add Sentara to its name

Published November 6, 2013 by Robert Powell, III

Harrisonburg-based  RMH Healthcare is changing its name to reflect its ties with Sentara Healthcare, a Norfolk-based health system.

The new name, Sentara RMH Medical Center, will take effect on Jan. 1. The change conforms to Sentara's naming structure.

RMH merged with Sentara  in May 2011. As part of its merger agreement, the RMH board agreed to transition the hospital’s name over time.

RMH includes Rockingham Memorial Hospital, which opened a new facility outside Harrisonburg shortly before it announced plans in 2010 to join Sentara.

RMH  said it decided to merge with an integrated healthcare system to ensure the availability of appropriate healthcare services.

“The operation of today’s hospital is extremely complex, requiring us to adhere to many changing rules, regulations and standards,” RMH President Jim Krauss said in a statement. “A large, integrated system has the expertise and extensive resources to manage these complex issues more successfully than does a single independent hospital.”