History of Richland Memorial Hospital

A Tradition of Caring

Richland County has deeply seeded roots as a center for healthcare services in the Southeastern Illinois area. The tradition began when Dr. George T. Weber opened the Olney Sanitarium in 1898. He, along with three brothers, who were also physicians, and two sisters, who operated the institution’s School of Nursing, established the Sanitarium as one of the most highly esteemed hospitals between St. Louis and Cincinnati.

Richland Memorial Hospital was opened in 1953, and the patients from the Olney Sanitarium were moved into the new, state-of-the-art facility under the care of the same physicians. The Sanitarium doctors recruited more specialists to their practice and formed Weber Medical Clinic, now the oldest multi-specialty group practice in the State of Illinois. Members of the Weber Medical Clinic and several private practice physicians, specialists and mid-level practitioners continue to serve the area today.

Richland Memorial Hospital was a county owned and governed facility until 1997. In February of 1997, the County of Richland entered into an Operating Lease Agreement with Richland Memorial Hospital, Inc., a separate, not-for-profit corporation with a volunteer Board of Directors. With this agreement, the County retained ownership of the building; however, operating control was in the hands of the newly formed corporation. Discussions in 2001-2002 regarding renovation/construction for the Family Maternity Services Unit determined that a single entity (either the County or Richland Memorial Hospital, Inc.) would need both ownership and operational responsibility in order to finance the project. This resulted in the transfer of ownership of the hospital from the County to Richland Memorial Hospital, Inc. in early 2005.