Health service ISIS Primary Care has changed its name to IPC Health to avoid “toxic” associations with the jihadist militant group also known as Daesh.
The not-for-profit community health group was named after the ancient Egyptian goddess Isis when it founded about 17 years ago.
The goddess’s name is the Greek form of the ancient Egyptian word for “throne”, and Isis was worshipped as a magical healer who cured the sick and brought the dead back to life. But the name became an issue for the health service, which is largely funded by the health and human services department, when the terrorist group adopted the name Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in 2014.
IPC Health chief executive Alex Johnstone said about 18 months ago people had begun to push for a name change.
“The name is toxic,” he said. “Staff told me that, when they wore their lanyards at the supermarket, they were intimidated.”
“This is something that has been a concern for a significant amount of time. But the process has been quite time consuming – we have to go through due diligence,” Mr Johnstone said.
He said staff who worked with refugees from Iraq told him the name would confuse and frighten them.
“And that’s a real concern because these people need to be supported in their health needs,” he said. “There was a very strong message that it wasn’t helpful to have ‘ISIS’ and ‘care’ in the same name.”
The new branding, IPC Health, stands for “improving and promoting community health”.
Mr Johnstone said the “I” also represents the individual, and how the organisation can tailor medical services to each person’s needs.
The new business name was launched on November 4 to coincide with the opening of the organisation’s refurbished St Albans head office. Its clinics are also at Taylors Lakes, Deer Park, Hoppers Crossing, Wyndham Vale, Sunshine and Altona Meadows.
