Rush Foundation Hospital

Description

Rush Foundation Hospital is a major communitybased acute care medical center that serves inpatients and outpatients who are primarily residents of the area including Meridian Mississippi and communities that are within a 70 mile radius of Meridian

As a 215bed facility Rush Foundation Hospital is dedicated to providing stateoftheart medical care for the families of our region

For over 90 years Rush has maintained a commitment to offering a complete scope of healthcare services

Vision Statement
quotTo be THE healthcare provider of choice in MeridianLauderdale County Mississippi and other communities in East Mississippi and West Alabamaquot

Mission Statement
quotProvide high quality medical care with financial improvement to the hospital by a hospitalwide commitment to excellence in service managementquot

History

Rush opened its doors to the Meridian community in 1915 when Dr JH Rush founded the Rush Infirmary Soon the medical needs for area residents outgrew the existing bed capacity and in 1920 the hospital expanded its facility Today Rush is a comprehensive healthcare network providing quality care to people throughout East Central Mississippi and West Central Alabama

Our Beginning
Meridians first private hospital was built February 15 1915 The 18bed facility included one operating room and a staff comprised of Dr and Mrs JH Rush one registered nurse and six student nurses In 1921 Dr Lowry Rush Sr joined the staff and in 1927 Dr Leslie Rush began his medical career at the hospital In 1926 Miss Catherine Hovious began her fifty year profession at Rush As the healthcare needs of the hospital grew Ms Hovious completed nursing xray CRNA and laboratory technician schools and became the only registered xray technician in the state of Mississippi

New Additions
When the Rush infirmary became Rush Memorial Hospital in 1947 the bed capacity was expanded to 102 and nursing home services were added The demand for medical services in the community kept growing and the hospital was expanded again in 1962 Two more wings were added in 1963 and 1967 including more patient rooms an intensive care unit new operating rooms recovery rooms visitor lounges doctors and nurses lounges and updated facilities Rush dedicated another wing in 1975 featuring a stateoftheart emergency room complex radiology department and 24 additional private patient rooms

Rush has experienced several name changes since its beginning In 1947 the original hospital became a nonprofit institution with the establishment of the Rush Medical Foundation Commemorating its founder Dr JH Rush the name was changed to Rush Memorial Hospital In 1965 the name was officially changed to Rush Foundation Hospital

Rush quotFirstsquot
Rush is known for notable quotfirstsquot in health care In 1936 medical history was made when Dr Leslie Rush performed the first known bone pinning in the United States This revolutionary fracture treatment pioneered the development of the quotRush Pinquot which is still used to this day

In 1938 Rush hired the first nonphysician administrator in the state of Mississippi The states first blood bank with a 350 unit capacity began in 1942 In 1944 Dr Leslie Rush Miss Catherine Hovious and Dr HM Ivey superintendent of Meridian Public Schools joined forces with Meridian Junior College and initiated the first junior college and hospital nursing program in the state Other quotfirstsquot include the hiring of a pathologist in 1950 the construction the states first intensive care unit in 1962 the first colaser used by OBGYN physicians in 1981 and the opening of Meridians first Wellness Center in 1982

The tradition continued in 1985 when the Rush Medical Group Professional Office was opened to the public The sixstory building was designed for patient convenience and housed lab and xray departments In 1987 Rush introduced the Sports Medicine program to the community placing athletic trainers at various sporting events In 1988 the Rush Family Birth Center opened providing added patient comfort and care in a combined labor delivery recovery and postpartum unit The first Neonatal Intensive Care Unit was established in 1990 providing intensive care for highrisk newborns in East Central Mississippi and West Central Alabama

In 1995 the Pain Treatment Center embarked on providing the areas only outpatient setting for treatment for chronic pain In 1995 Rush Workforce Wellness unveiled its 40foot mobile clinic providing healthcare services and screenings to area industries

In 1996 the Rush Senior Health Center opened giving senior adults comprehensive primary care The center focuses on controlling chronic conditions often associated with aging The Rush Wound Care and Hyperbaric Center premiered in 1997 giving patients an alternative to hospitalization with acute injuries and slowhealing wounds