Illinois- based SwedishAmerican Health System changes name to UW Health

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - SwedishAmerican Health Systems has now fully integrated in the Wisconsin’s UW Health System.

The Rockford, IL health system has been recognized as a division of UW Health since 2015, but effective immediately, SwedishAmerican will now be known as UW Health.

According to a news release from UW Health, patients at SwedishAmerican will continue to see the same physicians in the same locations under their current insurance plans. The name change will not affect the employment status of the company’s over 3,700 associates.

Since its creation over 100 years ago, SwedishAmerican has expanded from its original downtown Rockford hospital location to include a medical center in Belvidere, a regional cancer center and a network of more than 30 primary, multi-specialty, and employer-based clinics.

All locations will assume the UW Health brand name with the original hospital being called UW Health SwedishAmerican Hospital.

UW Health says the integration will bring greater access to medical specialties, research and physicians for patients in northern Illinois.

“Unifying our brand is about more than a name,” says Dr. Alan Kaplan, CEO, UW Health. “It’s about bringing our people, assets, and expertise together to expand the remarkable care available to the people of northern Illinois and throughout our system of care.”

The transition will happen in phases, with new signage, website changes and other rebranding efforts expected over the course of the next year.