The founders of Rush Infirmary, Dr. and Mrs. J.H. Rush, had great vision and desire to establish a hospital that provided a high standard of care for their patients when they opened Meridian’s first private hospital in 1915.  

The 18-bed Rush Infirmary was the beginning of what is today Rush Health Systems. With seven hospitals, 30 clinics and more than 3,000 employees, Rush Health Systems has grown to become the leading provider of health services and largest private employer in the East Mississippi/West Alabama region.

Throughout the past year, as the health system has celebrated the centennial anniversary of their founding, Rush physicians, employees, board members and volunteers generously gave of their time and talents to provide thousands of Acts of Community Caring.

“As we approached our 100th anniversary, we asked our employees, medical staff members, board members and volunteers to help commemorate the major milestone by reaching out to the communities we serve by performing acts of service,” said Wallace Strickland, president and chief executive officer of Rush Health Systems. “The outpouring of generosity and kindness with which they responded to the request has been overwhelming and extremely meaningful.

“The outreach projects benefited those served by schools, food kitchens and pantries, homeless shelters, animal shelters, law enforcement agencies, firefighters, libraries, clothing closets for the needy, senior citizens centers, Veteran’s homes, nursing homes, mental health facilities, local groups serving in the mission fields, health fairs and screenings, at the homes of their co-workers in need and a number of other locations throughout the region.

“We had such an incredible response from our Rush family of caregivers that it will be several months before we can complete the process of acknowledging these Acts of Caring publicly,” Strickland said. “When the founder’s sons, Dr. H. Lowry Rush and Dr. Leslie V. Rush wrote the Rush Builder’s Creed in 1947, they set forth a mission and vision statement that has remained at the heart of the health system’s operating philosophy. The creed begins with the words, ‘I am my brother’s keeper.’ It is so gratifying to have Rush caregivers demonstrate their dedication to the communities we serve and their co-workers through these Acts of Caring. They have touched thousands of lives in very meaningful ways. We thank them for their generosity and kindness and are so proud how they honored our tradition of service in carrying out these acts of community caring. It has been an outstanding tribute to the Rush legacy.”

As the Rush organization begins their 102nd year, members of the leadership team have been named to new roles. They include: Dale Armour, who has been named executive vice president/chief operations officer, Rush Health Systems; Dr. David Malloy, who has been named chief medical officer for Rush Health Systems; Larkin Kennedy, who has been named president of the Hospital Group for Rush Health Systems; Chris Rush, who has been named president of Corporate Services/CFO for Rush Health Systems; Jason Payne, who has been named EVP/COO and administrator of Rush Foundation Hospital; Casey Bland has been named director of nursing for Rush Foundation Hospital; Lance Brent has been named vice president of Physician and Clinic Operations; Tammy Martin has been named director of operations for Rush Medical Group; Sonya Carrier has been named director – Primary Care Clinics; and Melissa Mitchell has been named director of Quality Services for Rush Health Systems.

“All of these individuals have been serving the health system in leadership positions,” Strickland said. “They have demonstrated during their tenure with Rush that they are dedicated to excellence in medical care and customer service for the health systems’ patients, and are strong advocates for the physicians and employees.”

Strickland further stated that the coming year and those that follow will be filled with change.  

“Health care is changing dramatically before our eyes, and at a very rapid pace; we expect this trend to continue,” he said. “We are constantly in the mode of adapting to changes in technology, changes in regulations, changes in the way we are reimbursed for the care we provide and changes in the way that medicine is delivered. Now, more so than ever, we are in a position of constantly evaluating every aspect of our business to find the best ways to provide quality care for our patients while responding to the challenges these changes bring about.

Health care is never going to look the same way it did in the past. Our goal is to deliver the best healthcare we can in today’s world, while remaining true to the creed set forth by our founders. While we can’t promise what our delivery system will look like, we can promise that we will remain dedicated to our founders’ vision,” Strickland said.

Rush Health Systems is headquartered in Meridian, with healthcare facilities in East Mississippi and West Alabama. The organization includes Rush Foundation Hospital, Specialty Hospital of Meridian, Medical Foundation, Inc., Laird Hospital, Union, H.C. Watkins Hospital in Quitman, Scott Regional Hospital in Morton, John C. Stennis Memorial Hospital in DeKalb, and Choctaw General Hospital in Butler, Ala.