Memorial Hospital officially becomes Deaconess Memorial Medical Center

Hospital celebrates name change reflecting partnership with Deaconess Health System while preserving 75-year legacy of Catholic-based care in Jasper community.

Memorial Hospital Healthcare Center officially transitioned to Deaconess Memorial Medical Center during a ceremony that brought together hospital employees, community leaders and system leadership to mark the milestone in the facility’s nearly 75-year history.

The name change reflects the hospital’s integration into Deaconess Health System, which began in 2023, and represents both the preservation of the facility’s Catholic heritage and its expansion of services for the Jasper and Dubois County communities.

“This is a new name—but it’s also a continuation of everything Memorial has stood for,” said Keith Miller, chief administrative officer for Deaconess Memorial Medical Center and president of Deaconess Indiana region. “For nearly 75 years, Memorial has been a symbol of compassionate, Catholic-based care.”

The rebranding process involved surveying more than 800 people about the name, with community input revealing a strong attachment to the Memorial designation and its historical significance.

“The memorial name is extremely important to this community,” said Shawn McCoy, CEO of Deaconess Health System. “It represents the Little Company of Mary coming in to run this. It represents the people that put their money toward this hospital to get it built. And it’s in honor of the war veterans. And it’s amazing to me how many people in the community knew that history knew what Memorial meant.”

McCoy explained that the Deaconess name brings recognition and credibility when accepting referrals from across the three-state region of Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky.

“When you say the word Deaconess, it means high quality care, compassion, trust,” McCoy said. “Having the Deaconess name is important” for patients and physicians making referrals from outside the immediate area.

The “medical center” designation reflects the facility’s expanded scope beyond traditional hospital services, representing what Miller described as “a higher level of care than just a hospital.”

Since the partnership began, the facility has added multiple new services, including inpatient nephrology, which means approximately 150 patients per year no longer need to leave Jasper for that care. The hospital has also expanded pain management services, surgical offerings and implemented advanced technologies, including the ROSA robotic surgical system and OrthoGrid.

New providers have joined in urology, oncology, gastroenterology and the emergency department, with additional specialists planned in ENT, nephrology and general surgery.

Dr. Dean Beckman provided a perspective on the facility’s growth to more than 100 currently active medical staff members since he joined the hospital.

“Thirty-five years ago today I started here and we had 28 physicians on our staff,” Beckman said. “We had one surgeon, one orthopod, three OBGYN. Our emergency room was really a room. Eight beds, eight dividers. The MRI scanner came once a month on the back of a truck.”

The hospital now features a board-certified emergency department with Level 3 Trauma Center designation, top cardiologists with catheterization and vascular labs, multiple specialists and a comprehensive cancer center with a linear accelerator providing medical and radiation oncology services.

Beckman addressed community concerns about potential changes, stating that patients frequently ask whether staff will be transferred to other Deaconess facilities. “The answer is no,” he said, emphasizing the system’s commitment to keeping care local.

Chamber Director Nancy Eckerle, who was there representing the mayor in her role as councilwoman, spoke about the hospital’s long-standing community involvement, noting that Memorial has maintained representation on the Chamber of Commerce board throughout her 38 years as director.

“Through my 38 years as director, they have always provided such great insight and leadership to the Chamber and in turn to the community,” Eckerle said.

Bishop Joseph Siegel of the Diocese of Evansville emphasized the continuity of the facility’s Catholic mission despite the name change, referencing the hospital’s 70-year history under the sponsorship of the Sisters of Little Company of Mary.

“Although this facility will have a new name, its mission and its purpose will remain as it has been for decades,” Siegel said. “As this facility takes on a new name as Deaconess Memorial Medical Center, I’m confident that we’ll continue to build on the foundation of Catholic healthcare established by the sisters.”

The hospital continues to operate under the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services, maintaining its faith-based approach to patient care.

Miller, who joined Memorial approximately one year ago, described witnessing “the growth, the collaboration, the deep commitment for this community” and expressed excitement about future developments.

“This transition means more than a new name,” Miller said. “It’s about more care closer to home.”

The ceremony concluded with a ribbon cutting, symbolically marking the beginning of the Deaconess Memorial Medical Center era while honoring the legacy established by decades of community service and Catholic healthcare ministry in the region.