Rush University Medical Center
Encyclopedia
Rush University Medical Center is a 676-bed academic medical center that includes hospital facilities for adults and children. It also includes the Johnston R. Bowman Health Center (a 61-bed rehabilitation facility). It is affiliated with Rush University
.
Rush is a not-for-profit health care, education and research enterprise comprising Rush University Medical Center, Rush University, Rush Oak Park Hospital and Rush Health. Rush University is home to one of the first medical colleges in the midwest and includes one of the nation's top-ranked nursing colleges, as well as graduate programs in allied health, health systems management and biomedical research.
Rush also offers more than 70 highly selective residency and fellowship programs in medical and surgical specialties and subspecialties. In 2010 U.S.News and World Report ranked Rush University Medical Center as one of the top hospitals in 11 different medical specialties including:
Rush is the largest non-governmental employer on Chicago's West Side and is the 20th largest private sector employer in Chicago, with more than 8,000 employees and a payroll of more than $500 million.
In addition to its mission in patient care, education and research, Rush maintains a strong commitment to the community. Rush reaches out to the Chicago
community through such offerings as the Rush Community Services Initiatives Program, an umbrella for several student led outreach programs designed to address the social and health care needs of residents in neighboring communities. The Medical Center’s community service efforts also include the Science and Math Excellence Network, a public-private partnership to improve the science and math skills of inner-city children through sponsorship of after-school science clubs, the construction of modern science labs in public elementary schools and other programs. The program serves nearly 50 elementary schools.
Rush is investing over a billion dollars in the Rush Transformation, a comprehensive construction and renovation program that includes a 14-story inpatient care facility and advanced emergency response center (opening in 2012), a five-story ambulatory orthopedic building that opened in 2009, a seven-story parking garage, a central energy plant, an underground loading dock, and renovations to existing buildings.
The new 806000 square feet (74,879.9 m²) East Tower hospital building will provide Rush with its first major new hospital facility in more than 25 years. The 14-level patient care tower will house acute and critical care patients, as well as surgical, diagnostic and therapeutic services utilizing the most advanced technology available. The new hospital will include expanded emergency services facilities including the Center for Advanced Emergency Response, a unique facility that will bring an unprecedented level of preparedness to Chicago and the region in the event of immediate and widespread emergencies such as pandemics or bioterrorism. The center is designed to have 40 exam rooms with “surge” capacity to treat additional patients in times of disaster. It will be located on the ground floor of the new tower.
The new facility incorporates a concept called "interventional platform," a design model developed in recent years for centers like Rush that increasingly involve multiple medical specialists to treat patients with highly complex illnesses using the most advanced technologies available. Two other academic medical centers constructing new inpatient facilities, UCLA Medical Center (Los Angeles) and Johns Hopkins Hospital Center (Baltimore), have or are incorporating the interventional platform concept into their new hospital buildings. The interventional platforms at Rush cover three floors that will be devoted to surgery, imaging and specialty procedures. This includes new, larger operating rooms that can accommodate more specialized equipment and technology, including imaging equipment and robotics. Nearby will be facilities for interventional radiology, cardiology and neurosurgery, fostering more extensive collaboration between various medical disciplines. Locating these key services close to one another minimizes the need for patients and their families to travel to multiple locations in the medical center.
The top five floors of the east tower will house Rush’s acute and critical patients, with each floor divided in half with two equal sections – or units – on either side. The 10th and 11th floors will house the hospital’s adult critical care units, each floor having two 28-bed units. The remaining three floors will be dedicated to acute care medical/surgical patients with two 32-bed areas on each level.
The design of the acute and critical care tower was created by doctors and nurses whose ideas about universal room design, standardization, efficiency and safety influenced the layout. They considered sight lines to rooms from the nursing station and the number of steps required to reach each room. Nursing stations are at the central core, allowing hospital staff to see into all the wings from one location. All patient rooms will be standardized as either a medical surgical room or a critical care room, so that when caregivers enter any room in the new tower, they will be able to quickly access supplies and equipment.
All patient rooms will be private and offer family accommodations, such as daybeds for visitors. There will be 376 beds in the new facility, and Rush will have a total of 720 beds in operation at the completion of the Transformation project.
Rush is seeking Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.
, named the school in honor of Dr. Benjamin Rush
, the only physician with medical school training to sign the Declaration of Independence and who would later teach Meriwether Lewis
the basics medical skills for his expedition with William Clark to the Pacific Northwest
. The general hospital associated with the medical college would be the first in Chicago.
The early Rush faculty, well known across the American frontier for its expertise, engaged in patient care, research and teaching, and was associated with a number of scientific developments and new clinical procedures. As the city grew, so did Rush’s involvement with other developing institutions: St. Luke’s Hospital, established in 1864; Presbyterian Hospital, which was begun at the urging of the Rush faculty in 1883; and the University of Chicago
, with which Rush Medical College
was affiliated and later united from 1898 to 1942.
In the early 1940s, Rush discontinued undergraduate education, but its library was maintained and its faculty continued to teach at the University of Illinois School of Medicine. In 1969, Rush Medical College
reactivated its charter and merged with Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Hospital, which itself had been formed through merger in 1956, 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. The Medical Center 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.
Today, Rush is a thriving center for basic and clinical research, with physicians and scientists involved in hundreds of research projects developing and testing the effectiveness and safety of new therapies and medical devices. Some of the most exciting projects at Rush are under way in the Robert H. Cohn and Terri Cohn Research Building, a state-of-the-art facility where investigators are conducting research to identify the causes of a wide range of diseases.
The U.S. Department of Labor chose Rush University Medical Center to receive its prestigious 2007 Exemplary Voluntary Efforts (EVE) Award. The award recognizes federal contractors for exceptional efforts to increase employment opportunities for minorities, women, individuals with disabilities and veterans. Rush was one of only three organizations to receive the 2007 EVE award — along with Cornell University in Ithaca, New York and the Public Service Enterprise Group, a Newark, New Jersey utility company — out of 17 employers nationwide that the Department of Labor invited to submit application proposals. Rush is the first Chicago-area organization to receive the award in more than a decade.
Rush University
Rush University is a private university on the West Side of Chicago, Illinois. The university, founded in 1972, is the academic arm of Rush University Medical Center.Rush University comprises:* Rush Medical College* Rush University College of Nursing...
.
Rush is a not-for-profit health care, education and research enterprise comprising Rush University Medical Center, Rush University, Rush Oak Park Hospital and Rush Health. Rush University is home to one of the first medical colleges in the midwest and includes one of the nation's top-ranked nursing colleges, as well as graduate programs in allied health, health systems management and biomedical research.
Rush also offers more than 70 highly selective residency and fellowship programs in medical and surgical specialties and subspecialties. In 2010 U.S.News and World Report ranked Rush University Medical Center as one of the top hospitals in 11 different medical specialties including:
- orthopedicsOrthopedicsOrthopedics is the study of the musculoskeletal system. The Greek word 'ortho' means straight or correct and 'pedics' comes from the Greek 'pais' meaning children. For many centuries, orthopedists have been involved in the treatment of crippled children...
(#10) - neurologyNeurologyNeurology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the nervous system. Specifically, it deals with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of disease involving the central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous systems, including their coverings, blood vessels, and all effector tissue,...
and neurosurgeryNeurosurgeryNeurosurgery is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, spine, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, and extra-cranial cerebrovascular system.-In the United States:In...
(#14) - geriatricsGeriatricsGeriatrics is a sub-specialty of internal medicine and family medicine that focuses on health care of elderly people. It aims to promote health by preventing and treating diseases and disabilities in older adults. There is no set age at which patients may be under the care of a geriatrician, or...
(#22) - cardiologyCardiologyCardiology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the heart . The field includes diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular heart disease and electrophysiology...
and cardiac surgeryCardiac surgeryCardiovascular surgery is surgery on the heart or great vessels performed by cardiac surgeons. Frequently, it is done to treat complications of ischemic heart disease , correct congenital heart disease, or treat valvular heart disease from various causes including endocarditis, rheumatic heart...
(#25) - otolaryngologyOtolaryngologyOtolaryngology or ENT is the branch of medicine and surgery that specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of ear, nose, throat, and head and neck disorders....
(#32) - gastroenterologyGastroenterologyGastroenterology is the branch of medicine whereby the digestive system and its disorders are studied. The name is a combination of three Ancient Greek words gaster , enteron , and logos...
(#35) - gynecologyGynaecologyGynaecology or gynecology is the medical practice dealing with the health of the female reproductive system . Literally, outside medicine, it means "the science of women"...
(#41) - urologyUrologyUrology is the medical and surgical specialty that focuses on the urinary tracts of males and females, and on the reproductive system of males. Medical professionals specializing in the field of urology are called urologists and are trained to diagnose, treat, and manage patients with urological...
(#41) - cancerCancerCancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
(#43) - nephrologyNephrologyNephrology is a branch of internal medicine and pediatrics dealing with the study of the function and diseases of the kidney.-Scope of the specialty:...
(#43) - pulmonologyPulmonologyIn medicine, pulmonology is the specialty that deals with diseases of the respiratory tract and respiratory disease. It is called chest medicine and respiratory medicine in some countries and areas...
(#49).
Rush is the largest non-governmental employer on Chicago's West Side and is the 20th largest private sector employer in Chicago, with more than 8,000 employees and a payroll of more than $500 million.
In addition to its mission in patient care, education and research, Rush maintains a strong commitment to the community. Rush reaches out to the Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
community through such offerings as the Rush Community Services Initiatives Program, an umbrella for several student led outreach programs designed to address the social and health care needs of residents in neighboring communities. The Medical Center’s community service efforts also include the Science and Math Excellence Network, a public-private partnership to improve the science and math skills of inner-city children through sponsorship of after-school science clubs, the construction of modern science labs in public elementary schools and other programs. The program serves nearly 50 elementary schools.
Rush is investing over a billion dollars in the Rush Transformation, a comprehensive construction and renovation program that includes a 14-story inpatient care facility and advanced emergency response center (opening in 2012), a five-story ambulatory orthopedic building that opened in 2009, a seven-story parking garage, a central energy plant, an underground loading dock, and renovations to existing buildings.
The new 806000 square feet (74,879.9 m²) East Tower hospital building will provide Rush with its first major new hospital facility in more than 25 years. The 14-level patient care tower will house acute and critical care patients, as well as surgical, diagnostic and therapeutic services utilizing the most advanced technology available. The new hospital will include expanded emergency services facilities including the Center for Advanced Emergency Response, a unique facility that will bring an unprecedented level of preparedness to Chicago and the region in the event of immediate and widespread emergencies such as pandemics or bioterrorism. The center is designed to have 40 exam rooms with “surge” capacity to treat additional patients in times of disaster. It will be located on the ground floor of the new tower.
The new facility incorporates a concept called "interventional platform," a design model developed in recent years for centers like Rush that increasingly involve multiple medical specialists to treat patients with highly complex illnesses using the most advanced technologies available. Two other academic medical centers constructing new inpatient facilities, UCLA Medical Center (Los Angeles) and Johns Hopkins Hospital Center (Baltimore), have or are incorporating the interventional platform concept into their new hospital buildings. The interventional platforms at Rush cover three floors that will be devoted to surgery, imaging and specialty procedures. This includes new, larger operating rooms that can accommodate more specialized equipment and technology, including imaging equipment and robotics. Nearby will be facilities for interventional radiology, cardiology and neurosurgery, fostering more extensive collaboration between various medical disciplines. Locating these key services close to one another minimizes the need for patients and their families to travel to multiple locations in the medical center.
The top five floors of the east tower will house Rush’s acute and critical patients, with each floor divided in half with two equal sections – or units – on either side. The 10th and 11th floors will house the hospital’s adult critical care units, each floor having two 28-bed units. The remaining three floors will be dedicated to acute care medical/surgical patients with two 32-bed areas on each level.
The design of the acute and critical care tower was created by doctors and nurses whose ideas about universal room design, standardization, efficiency and safety influenced the layout. They considered sight lines to rooms from the nursing station and the number of steps required to reach each room. Nursing stations are at the central core, allowing hospital staff to see into all the wings from one location. All patient rooms will be standardized as either a medical surgical room or a critical care room, so that when caregivers enter any room in the new tower, they will be able to quickly access supplies and equipment.
All patient rooms will be private and offer family accommodations, such as daybeds for visitors. There will be 376 beds in the new facility, and Rush will have a total of 720 beds in operation at the completion of the Transformation project.
Rush is seeking Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.
History
Rush Medical College was chartered in on March 2, 1837, two days before the city of Chicago was chartered. The college opened with 22 students on December 4, 1843. It was the first health care institution in Chicago and one of the few medical schools west of the Alleghenies. Its founder, Dr. Daniel BrainardDaniel Brainard
Daniel Brainard was a Chicago based surgeon and founder of Rush Medical College. Brainard came to Chicago, in 1836, at the age of 24, and immediately set up a medical practice, soon after which he applied to the Illinois state legislature for a charter for what was to become Rush Medical College...
, named the school in honor of Dr. Benjamin Rush
Benjamin Rush
Benjamin Rush was a Founding Father of the United States. Rush lived in the state of Pennsylvania and was a physician, writer, educator, humanitarian and a Christian Universalist, as well as the founder of Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania....
, the only physician with medical school training to sign the Declaration of Independence and who would later teach Meriwether Lewis
Meriwether Lewis
Meriwether Lewis was an American explorer, soldier, and public administrator, best known for his role as the leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition also known as the Corps of Discovery, with William Clark...
the basics medical skills for his expedition with William Clark to the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
. The general hospital associated with the medical college would be the first in Chicago.
The early Rush faculty, well known across the American frontier for its expertise, engaged in patient care, research and teaching, and was associated with a number of scientific developments and new clinical procedures. As the city grew, so did Rush’s involvement with other developing institutions: St. Luke’s Hospital, established in 1864; Presbyterian Hospital, which was begun at the urging of the Rush faculty in 1883; and the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, with which Rush Medical College
Rush Medical College
Rush Medical College is the medical school of Rush University, a private university in Chicago, Illinois. Rush Medical College was one of the first medical colleges in the state of Illinois and was chartered in 1837, two days before the city of Chicago was chartered, and opened with 22 students on...
was affiliated and later united from 1898 to 1942.
In the early 1940s, Rush discontinued undergraduate education, but its library was maintained and its faculty continued to teach at the University of Illinois School of Medicine. In 1969, Rush Medical College
Rush Medical College
Rush Medical College is the medical school of Rush University, a private university in Chicago, Illinois. Rush Medical College was one of the first medical colleges in the state of Illinois and was chartered in 1837, two days before the city of Chicago was chartered, and opened with 22 students on...
reactivated its charter and merged with Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Hospital, which itself had been formed through merger in 1956, to form Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center. Rush University
Rush University
Rush University is a private university on the West Side of Chicago, Illinois. The university, founded in 1972, is the academic arm of Rush University Medical Center.Rush University comprises:* Rush Medical College* Rush University College of Nursing...
, which now includes colleges of medicine, nursing, health sciences and research training, was established in 1972. The Medical Center 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.
Today, Rush is a thriving center for basic and clinical research, with physicians and scientists involved in hundreds of research projects developing and testing the effectiveness and safety of new therapies and medical devices. Some of the most exciting projects at Rush are under way in the Robert H. Cohn and Terri Cohn Research Building, a state-of-the-art facility where investigators are conducting research to identify the causes of a wide range of diseases.
The U.S. Department of Labor chose Rush University Medical Center to receive its prestigious 2007 Exemplary Voluntary Efforts (EVE) Award. The award recognizes federal contractors for exceptional efforts to increase employment opportunities for minorities, women, individuals with disabilities and veterans. Rush was one of only three organizations to receive the 2007 EVE award — along with Cornell University in Ithaca, New York and the Public Service Enterprise Group, a Newark, New Jersey utility company — out of 17 employers nationwide that the Department of Labor invited to submit application proposals. Rush is the first Chicago-area organization to receive the award in more than a decade.
Life Trustees
- Mrs. Frederick M. Allen
- Roger E. Anderson
- Mrs. Bowen Blair
- Edward McCormick Blair
- William F. Borland
- John H. Bryan
- Donald B. Davidson
- The Rev. David A. Donovan
- Bernard J. Echlin
- John P. Frazee, Jr.
- David W. Grainger
- Robert J. Hasterlik, MD
- Leo M. Henikoff, MD
- Mrs. Edward Hines
- Thomas R. Hodgson
- Edgar D. Jannotta
- Thomas J. Klutznick
- Vernon R. Loucks, Jr.
- The Rt. Rev. James W. Montgomery
- Donald E. Nordlund
- Robert A. Pritzker
- Maribeth S. Rahe
- Thomas A. Reynolds, Jr.
- Thomas H. Roberts, Jr.
- Patrick G. Ryan
- John J. Shea
- Robert A. Southern
- Philip W. K. Sweet, Jr.
- Frank J. Techar
- Bide L. Thomas
- Marilou von Ferstel
- H. Blair White