Rush Foundation Hospital history

Meridian’s first private hospital was built on February 15, 1915.

Soon, the medical needs for area residents outgrew the existing bed capacity, and in 1920, the hospital expanded its facility.

When Doctor Sexton retired in 1929, he sold the building to the city.

In 1936, medical history was made when Doctor Leslie Rush performed the first known bone pinning in the United States.

In 1938, Rush hired the first nonphysician administrator in the state of Mississippi.

The state’s first blood bank, with a 350-unit capacity, began in 1942.

In 1944, Doctor Leslie Rush, Ms.

When the Rush infirmary became Rush Memorial Hospital in 1947, the bed capacity was expanded to 102, and nursing home services were added.

The present Rush Memorial Hospital was opened in 1950.

The demand for medical services in the community kept growing, and the hospital was expanded again in 1962.

In 1965, the name was officially changed to Rush Foundation Hospital.

In 1971, the hospital completed an expansion project that consisted of an emergency department, modernized ancillary service areas, and a kitchen.

Rush dedicated another wing in 1975, featuring a state-of-the-art emergency room complex, a radiology department and 24 additional private patient rooms.

The tradition continued in 1985, when the Rush Medical Group Professional Office was opened to the public.

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 high-risk newborns in East Central Mississippi and West Central Alabama.

In 1996, the Rush Senior Health Center opened, giving senior adults comprehensive, primary care.

In 1997, another expansion added an updated emergency department, state-of-the-art imaging services, new surgical suites, and an updated rehabilitation therapy area.

A medical office building was added in November of 2006 to house our growing family practice, expand our cancer care services, and centralize our visiting specialty physician clinics.

In 2012 RMH Foundation provided the hospital with funds to build the Digital Mammography Suite, which provides our community with state of the art breast cancer detection.

In 2013 the RMH Foundation helped fund the Pediatric Office Building, allowing RMH to better meet the health care needs of our community’s children.

In 2015 the RMH Foundation provided the Surgery Department with a specialized intubator for use with patients who have airway challenges.

In 2016 the RMH Foundation purchased a shuttle that will soon be used to transport patients/guests/volunteers/employees across the expanded RMH campus.