This year marks the 10th anniversary for Isis Women’s Health Care but instead of hoisting celebration banners we are taking down the namesake that proudly delivered thousands of Americans. Thankfully we are not closing our doors but we are opening a new chapter.
“Isis” is the name we carefully selected over ten years ago.
I still remember when Hughan and I were sitting on the floor of our apartment surrounded by ideas, spreadsheets and options. We wanted to build the best practice we could and that included picking a name with meaning. Hughan’s brother was the one to ultimately pitch the winner.
The practice started with one full-time employee in a sub-leased space across from North Fulton Hospital. Even today, Hughan shudders at how nervous he was when he asked her to join him. He says, “For the first time I was going to be responsible for paying for someone’s livelihood.” It was a very small start but it was where Dr. Frederick realized his dream and hung his shingle.
Today, ten years later, the Isis Women’s Health Care organization employs nearly 30 people in three offices. Through the hard work of so many people the name, Isis, has become synonymous with “a better birth experience” in the north Metro Atlanta area. It’s a name that we have all become proud to be associated with.
Until now.
One morning we woke up to news of a beheading by a terrorist organization the media chose to refer to as ISIS. It was tragic. But then it happened again, and again, and this group gained strength. Everyone called them something different; ISIS, ISIL, Islamic State…we weren’t sure what to call them. CNN, Fox News, Donald Trump and countless others seem to have settled on ISIS. That meant bad news for us.
Initially we planned to stay the course. Surely, no one would confuse our ob/gyn practice for a terrorist organization?! We were wrong.
People are mad. People are upset. People are confused. And they have let us know in some very unkind ways.
And just like that, we are being forced to erase a decade’s worth of work. We have taken the first step and removed the name from the building. But what name could possibly be a strong enough replacement?
A worker removes the “SIS” from the Isis Women’s Health Care sign in Roswell, GA
I’m not going to lie. This is hard. But instead of being sad, we want to turn this into something positive and fun. Isis clients are some of the smartest, most creative and opinionated people in Atlanta.
This time around, we’re going to open up the process to all of you and ask if you have any ideas for a name.
I can’t think of a better way to move into the next decade together with a new name and a better way to practice.
Let the brainstorming begin!
