UM logo, sign raised to the top of the Michigan Avenue Hospital to mark its new ownership

LANSING – Even the two cranes that lifted the “University of Michigan Health-Sparrow” sign were maize and blue.

Using the heavy equipment, contractors representing Universal Sign Systems of Grand Rapids hoisted the new sign to a site approximately 10 stories high, which is a testament to the new name that resulted from Sparrow Health System’s official 2023 merger with the University of Michigan Health Network.

The sign, along with a smaller sign, was placed Saturday morning on the hospital campus in downtown Lansing, long known as Sparrow’s prime location.

“The importance of this is that it is another visible indicator that we are part of the state’s premier health care system,” said John Foren, spokesman for the merged health care system. “It’s part of an ongoing process of rebranding and renaming.”

The University of Michigan-Health System announced its intention to acquire Sparrow Health System in late 2022. The deal was finalized by state regulators around April 2023. The formal name change took place on April 1 of this year.

It could take another year for all signage, websites, paperwork and other Sparrow artifacts to be upgraded, Foren said.

Contact Mike Ellis at [email protected] or 517-267-0415

This article originally appeared in Lansing State Journal: Downtown Lansing hospital gets new UM signs with new name and owner