Company Profile
Rush University Medical Center
Company Overview
Rush is a not-for-profit academic medical center comprising Rush University Medical Center, Rush University, Rush Oak Park Hospital and Rush Health.
Renowned Patient Care
Rush University Medical Center encompasses a 664-bed hospital serving adults and children, including the Johnston R. Bowman Health Center, which provides medical and rehabilitative care to older adults and people with short- and long-term disabilities.
In January, Rush opened a new 376-bed hospital building, known as the Tower, which is part of the Medical Center's major renovation of its campus. Rush's commitment to sustainability innovation earned the Tower LEED Gold certification. It is the largest new construction health care project in the world to be LEED Gold certified. Rush's renovation also includes Rush's Orthopedic Building, which opened in 2010, and the ongoing campuswide implementation of an electronic medical record system, enhancing patient care and safety.
A unique combination of research and patient care has earned Rush national rankings in 11 of 16 specialty areas in U.S.News & World Report's 2012-13 America's Best Hospitals issue, among other recognitions of our quality of care and accreditations. Our nurses are at the forefront of our efforts to provide quality care, receiving Magnet status three times for making outstanding nursing care the standard at the Medical Center. Rush was the first hospital in Illinois serving adults and children to receive Magnet status — the highest honor in nursing — and the first in Illinois to earn a third four-year designation.
And some of the world’s best athletes trust themselves to the hands of our physicians. Rush is proud to be the preferred hospital and home to the team physicians for both the Chicago Bulls and the Chicago White Sox.
Educating Future Health Care Providers
Rush University is home to one of the first medical colleges in the Midwest and one of the nation's top-ranked nursing colleges, as well as graduate programs in allied health, health systems management and biomedical research. The Medical Center also offers many highly selective residency and fellowship programs in medical and surgical specialties and subspecialties. Rush's unique practitioner-teacher model for health sciences education and research gives students the opportunity to learn from world-renowned instructors who practice what they teach.
Committed to Community
In addition to patient care, education and research, Rush maintains a strong commitment to the community. Many students, faculty and staff at Rush generously donate their time and skills both within and outside of the Medical Center. Their efforts include numerous health outreach projects in which Rush collaborates with neighborhood clinics, churches, schools and other organizations to provide health screenings and vital health information for underserved children and adults.
Our education and research endeavors, community service programs and relationships with other hospitals are dedicated to enhancing excellence in patient care for the diverse communities of the Chicago area – now and in the future.
Company History
With a history spanning 175 years, Rush has been part of the Chicago landscape longer than any other health care institution in the city. In fact, Rush Medical College received its charter on March 2, 1837, two days before the city of Chicago was incorporated. Its founder, Daniel Brainard, MD, named the school in honor of Benjamin Rush, MD, the only physician with medical school training to sign the Declaration of Independence. Rush Medical College was the first medical school in Chicago, and one of the earliest in the Midwest.
The early Rush faculty, nationally recognized for its expertise, engaged in patient care, research and teaching, and was associated with a number of scientific developments and new clinical procedures. The Rush faculty established a teaching hospital, Presbyterian Hospital, with the support of local Presbyterian congregations in 1883. Presbyterian Hospital School of Nursing was founded in 1903.
Rush Medical College was affiliated with the University of Chicago from 1898 to 1941. Following the end of this affiliation, Rush Medical College closed its doors in 1942.
Meanwhile, St. Luke’s Hospital, located on the 1400 blocks of South Michigan and Indiana avenues, was founded in 1864. The St. Luke’s Hospital School of Nursing was established in 1885. St. Luke’s merged with Presbyterian Hospital to form Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Hospital in 1956. Their nursing schools also united to create the Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Hospital School of Nursing.
In 1969, Rush Medical College reactivated its charter and merged with Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Hospital to form Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center. Rush University, which now includes colleges of medicine, nursing, health sciences and research training, was established in 1972.
Our institution officially changed its name in September 2003 to Rush University Medical Center, to reflect the important role education and research play in its patient care mission.
Rush University Medical Center’s newest additions to its campus include the Tower, an innovative 376-bed hospital building, and the Orthopedic Building.