A hospital by any other name

I am fully aware of the fact that Johnston Memorial Hospital has a negative image. I have personally experienced some of the reasons for that image. However, changing the name of a hospital will not alter the quality of care or level of service one will receive at said facility.

The overhaul at JMH is aimed at changing people's perceptions of the hospital, Perpich said. JMH wants Johnstonians to get health care in their own communities instead of going to Wake County, he said.

Some people at the focus groups said JMH has a negative image. "It's in a small town," said Ron Marchesano of Clayton. "It's like a stigma attached to the hospital."

A name change might be a step in the right image direction, some residents said.

"Once you change the name ... I think that's really going to change the perception of the hospital for people," Laurel Grantham of Smithfield said.

If image determined the quality of health care, great. If not, so what?