ROGERS PARK — Heartland Health Centers has changed the name of its community health clinics years after becoming independent of its former sister agency.
The group, which operates 16 local health centers, is now known as Tapestry 360 Health, officials announced Tuesday. The new name is meant to underscore the diverse patient population the Rogers Park-based health organization serves as well as the wraparound health services it provides.
It also allows Tapestry 360 to distinguish itself from other groups, including Heartland Alliance, from which the health nonprofit was established.
CEO Nicole Willis said the name change was “necessary to set ourselves apart.”
“Having a similar name has created a great deal of confusion,” Willis said. “Our new name will not impact our patients in any way. We’ll continue to champion health equity.”
Heartland Alliance formed in 1888 to help Chicago’s immigrants and low-income neighbors receive assistance and social services. In 1993, the organization built health care clinics in Uptown, where it served people experiencing homelessness.
Heartland Health Centers became independent of its sister organization in 2003. It has since grown into a major medical provider for 27,000 neighbors on the North Side and nearby suburbs, many of whom are without health insurance or are under-insured.
The nonprofit health organization has recently built up its refugee health services as it seeks to meet an increased need for such care. But as the organization grew, there was still confusion over Heartland Health Center’s name.
Since spinning off into its own group, Heartland Alliance has rolled out its own health care operation, Heartland Alliance Health. Heartland Alliance also has recently come under fire for conditions at its child immigrant shelters.
Dr. Bruce McNulty, chief medical officer at Swedish Hospital, said Tapestry 360 has been a vital partner in providing primary and specialty care to in-need patients who otherwise might go to an emergency room with preventable ailments.
McNulty sought to boost that partnership and refer Swedish patients to a place where they could get routine medical services. He set up a meeting and arrived to the meeting only to realize he reached out to Heartland Alliance, not Heartland Health Centers.
“Clearly, that confusion existed for others, as well,” McNulty said at a name-unveiling at Tapestry’s Rogers Park clinic, 1300 W. Devon Ave.
The name change will be advertised on buses and trains, plus there will be a direct communication campaign to patients explaining the rebranding, officials said.
Willis said she hoped the name change will help the organization continue to grow as it seeks to provide services for more in-need patients.
Tapestry offers affordable primary care, oral health care and behavior health services. It offers interpretation services in 35 languages and has a bilingual health provider staff. The organization is contracted with the government to provide health appointments to newly arriving refugees.
Tapestry has also been on hand at the emergency housing shelter at West Ridge’s closed YMCA building. The building is housing mostly single men and women who are seeking asylum in the United States after fleeing upheaval in Venezuela.
Tapestry has been staffing the housing shelter, tending to the refugee’s health ailments, Rep. Jan Schkowsky said at the name unveiling.
“Whatever the need is, this organization is here,” she said.
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