Facility will drop ‘memorial’ in favor of Aurora Medical Center
By Jason Arndt
Editor
Since 1924, when Memorial Hospital of Burlington opened, the facility has experienced a series of changes, including transfer of ownership to Aurora Health Care.
The one thing that has remained the same, however, has been the name – until now.
Memorial Hospital, originally adopted to honor soldiers who lost their lives in World War I, will now be known as Aurora Medical Center.
The company, according to a news release issued this week, renamed the facility to showcase the variety of services offered to patients in the region. The name change also follows the company’s branding found at other Aurora-owned facilities in the state.
Despite the change, President Bob Miller of Aurora Medical Center in Burlington and Aurora Lakeland Medical in Elkhorn wrote in the release it is imperative to remember the building’s history.
“The hospital here was originally funded and built by the people of Burlington,” he states. “That’s something we can never forget. It grounds us in the importance of ensuring that we’re delivering exceptional care close to home.”
Mayor Jeannie Hefty, whose father, Kenneth Katzman Sr., served as medical director of the hospital in the 1960s, believes the change was inevitable.
Considering other Aurora-owned facilities have changed their names, she acknowledged the time would come.
“Honestly, I am surprised it has taken this long,” she said. “They are probably doing that so people don’t confuse it with Burlington Memorial.”
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