What’s in a name?

Fron staff reports
Published: June 26, 2008

Giant earthmoving equipment reshapes the landscape amid scurrying construction crews, as a four-story building takes shape next to the Orange County Nursing Home and Home for Adults. But that’s not the only change on Dogwood Lane.
Effective July 1, the nursing home will change its name to Dogwood Village of Orange County in its ongoing effort to better reflect the evolving senior living community in Orange.
As nursing home officials look toward that future, they envision additional senior living options, including an independent living component on site-essentially a retirement community.
Consequently, a name change reflecting the broadening mission of the nursing home was critical. As it looks to compete with other senior living options, a less institutional name might better describe the campus.
Dogwood Village of Orange County originated years ago when the county implemented the 911 emergency response system and residents selected the name “Dogwood Lane” for the road leading to the nursing home.
Patty Talley, the nursing home’s director of customer and consumer relations, said the name captures more of the nursing home’s mission than its current name. “We’re already more than just “the nursing home,” she added, noting the new name has a less “institutional” feel than the current one.
“With the whole evolution of the broadening of this resource, we wanted to give it a name everyone could feel good about,” Orange County Nursing Home Commission Chairman Jim White added.
“The name change is also part of our vision of taking the nursing home into the future,” nursing home administrator Vernon Baker said.
The existing nursing home facility will become Dogwood Village of Orange County Health and Rehabilitation. The 66-bed assisted living addition will become Dogwood Village of Orange County Senior Living when it opens next spring.
“We need the new building to offer an improved set of services,” administrator Vernon Baker noted. “This will create greater capacity for more nursing home and skilled care patients while creating a state-of-the-art assisted living facility.”
Project costs include $17 million for construction, $1 million in architects’ and engineering fees and another $1.5 million for furnishings and equipment.
The 90,000 square-foot, four-story facility will be joined to the existing nursing home facility on the west end. It will occupy about three of the site’s remaining six and a half acres.
“The commission wanted a state of the art assisted living facility. This will be one of the nicest buildings in Orange County. It will take us into the future for the next 40 years,” Baker noted.