Kaweah Delta was founded in 1963 as a district hospital. Now it is the largest hospital in Tulare County and a certified level III Trauma Center.

Starting today, it has a new name: Kaweah Health.

“Never has there been a time in Kaweah’s history like the one we have just lived through,” said Kaweah Health CEO Gary Herbst, referring to COVID-19 during a morning news conference.

“I don’t want it to be a year we remember for all the pain and the suffering and the sadness and the loss and the exhaustion that we experienced.”

Change Will Cost About $700,000

Herbst says it’s the perfect time to reinvent, redefine, and reignite the healthcare system.

The estimated cost to rebrand is $600,000 to $700,000 — primarily for new signage.

The Kaweah Delta Medical sign was removed from the hospital in Visalia on Monday. A temporary Kaweah Health Medical Center banner was raised Tuesday morning.

“In the grand scheme of things, something so powerful, so transformational, so momentous is really coming at a very small investment and will not have any negative impact on any of our other continued investments in our people, our technology, and our services,” said Herbst.