Rush University Medical Center Archives

Brief History of RUSH OAK PARK HOSPITAL, 1907-present:

• 1904: Oak Park Hospital association incorporated to raise funds for hospital construction.
• 1907: Oak Park Hospital and Training School for Nurses opened, supported by John W. Tope, MD, (RUSH Medical College, class of 1870) and the Sisters of Misericordia.
• 1917: Oak Park Hospital School of Nursing affiliated with Loyola University.
• 1971: Oak Park Hospital School of Nursing closed.
• 1986: Ownership of Oak Park Hospital was transferred to the Wheaton Franciscan Sisters, Inc.
• 1993: The Medical Center becomes third and equal member of Synergon Health System of Oak Park. Synergon was formed in 1990 by WFSI-Illinois, a regional holding company of Wheaton Franciscan Sisters, Inc., and WestLake Health System. Synergon health provider organizations included Oak Park Hospital, beginning RUSH's partnership with the hospital.
• 2003: Oak Park Hospital is renamed RUSH Oak Park Hospital.
• 2013: RUSH Oak Park Hospital acquired by RUSH University Medical Center.
• 2017: RUSH Oak Park Hospital further integrated with RUSH University System for Health.

Further History:

Opened in 1907 by John W. Tope, MD, a Civil War veteran from New Philadelphia, Ohio, and the Sisters of Misericordia, a French-Canadian order that had successfully built and managed a number of hospitals in the U.S. and Canada, RUSH Oak Park Hospital was the first medical facility in the area.

Today, while firmly rooted in its community’s history, the hospital stands as a full-service health care facility with expert physicians and staff utilizing modern technology.   

The Sisters of Misericordia ran ROPH up until 1986, when ownership was transferred to the Wheaton Franciscan Sisters, Inc. In 1997, the hospital partnered with RUSH University Medical Center, adding to its renowned services, programs and physicians while continuing to provide exceptional and compassionate health care service that promotes the dignity and well-being of the community it serves.

The hospital was renamed RUSH Oak Park Hospital in 2003, to strengthen its ties to the Medical Center. 

In 2013, RUSH University Medical Center acquired the hospital outright, solidifying its continued investment in community health care. RUSH Oak Park Hospital offers the same specialists, equipment and high standards of care as RUSH University Medical Center. The partnership provides patients with collaborative care at the highest level.

The ROPH campus has grown over the years to include the Breast Imaging Center, state-of-the-art interventional radiology and surgical suites, and a comprehensive Center for Diabetes and Endocrine Care with an American Diabetes Association-recognized education program and board-certified endocrinologists.

The campus is also home to the 135,000-square foot RUSH Medical Office Building, which houses approximately 30 medical offices as well as an advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system operated in cooperation with Oak Park Imaging Services. The RUSH Medical Office Building also houses the RUSH Pain Management Center and the RUSH Outpatient Pharmacy.

The RUSH Oak Park Physicians' Group has practices in Oak Park, Hillside, Elmwood Park and North Riverside.

CAPTION: Oak Park Hospital, 1922, in History of Medicine and Surgery and Physicians and Surgeons of Chicago.

NOTE: Although the RUSH University Medical Center Archives does not hold the institutional records of ROPH, we welcome questions regarding its history. We will try to provide users with relevant resources or connect researchers to appropriate channels for assistance.