Jesse Hackley (J.H.) Rush (September 6, 1868 – January 22, 1931) was an American
physician
A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...
who founded the first private hospital in
Meridian, Mississippi
Meridian is the List of municipalities in Mississippi, seventh largest city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, with a population of 41,148 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census and an estimated population in 2018 of 36,347. It is the count ...
.
Career
Rush began his professional career as a dentist in
Meridian, Mississippi
Meridian is the List of municipalities in Mississippi, seventh largest city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, with a population of 41,148 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census and an estimated population in 2018 of 36,347. It is the count ...
. In 1910, he graduated with highest honors from the
Mississippi Medical College. He received additional training in the field of surgery at
New York Polyclinic in New York City.
He was one of seven individuals who founded the Meridian Sanitarium in the early 20th century.
In 1915, J. H. Rush founded Rush's Infirmary, an 18-bed facility that became the first private hospital in
Meridian, Mississippi
Meridian is the List of municipalities in Mississippi, seventh largest city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, with a population of 41,148 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census and an estimated population in 2018 of 36,347. It is the count ...
. When Rush's Infirmary opened, the staff consisted of Dr. and Mrs. Rush, one registered nurse and six student nurses. Rapid growth soon followed.
Dr. J. H. Rush died at 5:15 p.m. at Rush's Infirmary on Thursday, January 22, 1931 at the age of 62. His work continued, however, and in 1947, the hospital became a non-profit institution and was renamed Rush Memorial Hospital in commemoration of its founder. In 1965, the facility became known as Rush Foundation Hospital.
In 2022, Rush Health Systems (which includes several regional facilities) merged with Ochsner Health to become Ochsner Rush Health.
Family
Rush married Mary Hunnicutt (1874–1954) and this union produced three children: Lowry, Dorothy and
Leslie Vaughn, who all survived him. His sons H. Lowry and Leslie would follow in their father's footsteps and join the medical profession; Leslie Rush's contribution to
orthopedic medicine is the invention of the "Rush Pin", which revolutionized the treatment of bone fractures and has continued to be used in the 21st century.
References
External links
Ochsner Rush Health
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rush, J. H.
1868 births
1931 deaths
Physicians from Mississippi
People from De Kalb, Mississippi
People from Meridian, Mississippi