Chartered in 1998, The Riley Foundation is the modern evolution of a vision of service that began in 1930. It is an extension of a dream to meet the needs and improve the quality of life for the people of Meridian and Lauderdale County, Mississippi.
The seeds of this vision of service were planted by Dr. Franklin Gail Riley, the first residency-trained pediatrician in Mississippi, and a founding member of both the American Board of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Pediatrics. In 1930, he established a 12-bed children's and maternity hospital, which was the first of its type in Mississippi, focusing on serving the urgent health needs of children as well as the specialized needs of women.
In 1938, Dr. Riley converted the early facility to a nonprofit charitable hospital, chartered by the State of Mississippi as "The Riley Hospital and Benevolent Association," and known as the F.G. Riley Memorial Hospital. The hospital's charter provided "that all income from said hospital and nurses home shall be used entirely for the purposes thereof and no part of same shall be used for profit nor inure in whole or in part to the benefit of stockholders."
Dr. Riley's sons, William G. (Billy) Riley and Richard F. Riley, became medical doctors in the mid-1940s. After service in the armed forces during World War II, both of them returned to Meridian in the 1950s to begin their medical practices, and assumed leadership of the F.G. Riley Memorial Hospital.
By the early 1960s, the Meridian community's need for hospital beds and care had increased, so in 1965, Billy and Richard decided to construct a six-story hospital facility at 1102 21st Avenue in Meridian, which later became known as Riley Memorial Hospital. Working together with I.A. Rosenbaum and Robert B. Deen, Jr., their longtime friends and colleagues on the hospital board, they began plans for a new facility. The first hospital construction program was completed in 1968, financed by the issuance of $2.3 million of hospital revenue bonds. In 1974, an addition to the new hospital was completed, also financed by hospital revenue bonds in amount of $2.35 million. In 1984, 1987 and 1992, the hospital was renovated and expanded with the proceeds of three more offerings of hospital revenue bonds issued by the City of Meridian and the Mississippi Hospital Equipment and Facilities Authority, totaling $35.5 million. These bond issues enabled the completion of the major renovation and expansion programs of Riley Memorial Hospital as it grew to almost 200 beds, adding service and specialized programs to meet the needs of a growing region. With a dedicated hospital staff and Board of Directors, the Riley brothers successfully guided Riley Memorial Hospital through a complex healthcare environment.
Considering the changing healthcare environment of the 1990s, the Board of Directors of Riley Memorial Hospital sought options that resulted in the 1998 sale of the hospital assets to Health Management Associates of Naples, Florida. With the proceeds of this sale, Dr. Richard F. Riley, Dr. William G. Riley, I.A. Rosenbaum and Robert B. Deen, Jr., founded The Riley Foundation, marking the beginning of a new era of philanthropic service to Meridian and Lauderdale County.
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Dr. Franklin Gail Riley |
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As Meridian grew, so did Riley Memorial Hospital. This circa-1940s photograph depicts the original building, which held 20 beds. |
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By 1997, Riley Memorial Hospital had grown to a 180-bed acute and long-term care medical complex offering numerous specialty and sub-specialty areas. |
