Central Washington Hospital and Wenatchee Valley Hospital Getting Name Change

Confluence Health is changing the names of its hospitals and other locations after an announcement Monday.

Spokesperson Adam MacDonald said the name changes, which are expected to be completed by next summer, will increase clarity and allow for smoother services for patients.

"Most importantly for our patients the current two hospitals, that's Central Washington Hospital and Wenatchee Valley Hospital, will unite together under a single hospital license." MacDonald said, "So collectively they're going to be known as Confluence Health Hospital."

Central Washington Hospital on Miller Street in Wenatchee will be renamed Confluence Health Hospital Central Campus and Wenatchee Valley Hospital on 9th Street and Mission Street will go by Confluence Health Hospital Mares Building.

Confluence's Omak and Moses Lake locations will be referred to as campuses, while the health system's rural clinics will remain unchanged.

The move to bring both Wenatchee hospitals under once license is the culmination of over 80 years of health services in the Wenatchee Valley. Dr. L.M. Mares, along with Dr. A.G. Haug and Dr. L.S. Smith, started the Wenatchee Valley Clinic in 1940. Central Washington Deaconess Hospital and St. Anthony's Hospital then merged in 1974 to become Central Washington Services Association. St. Anthony's was later renamed Rosewood Hospital and Central Washington Deaconess Hospital's services were combined with Rosewood under the name Central Washington Hospital.

Central Washington Hospital then affiliated with Wenatchee Valley Medical Center (now Wenatchee Valley Medical Group) under the name Confluence Health in 2013. The legal name of Central Washington Health Services Association was still kept.

Thus, before Monday's announcement, Central Washington Hospital and Wenatchee Valley Hospital operated under separate hospital licenses due to what Confluence called in a press release the "needs at the time of affiliation."