It started with a vision—a vision to remember a beloved Indiana icon with a lasting legacy in his name.
In 1917, an Indianapolis doctor suggested a children’s hospital be built as a memorial for Hoosier poet James Whitcomb Riley. The idea caught on: a hospital with national recognition would serve the children of Indiana and be a permanent celebration of Riley.
Since its opening in 1924, Riley Children's Health has carried on that vision by offering world-class healthcare to children throughout Indiana. The state’s first and only comprehensive pediatric system gives children access to the best and brightest physicians, healthcare providers and researchers.
Here are the milestones that made it all possible.
Historical Timeline
Historical Timeline
As we embark on our second century, we reflect on our most momentous points in time. Read the following historical timeline to learn more.
To learn more about our history, read our Retro Riley stories.
Honoring a Hoosier poet
The Riley Memorial Committee announces plans to build James Whitcomb Riley Hospital for Children, a living memorial for the famed Hoosier poet.
Construction begins
Civic leaders and public officials gather for a groundbreaking ceremony on the hospital on July 11. At an Oct. 7 cornerstone laying ceremony, former U.S. Vice President Thomas R. Marshall gave the principal address. President and Mrs. Warren G. Harding donated a bronze trowel for the actual laying of the cornerstone.
Hospital dedicated
James Whitcomb Riley Memorial Hospital for Children is dedicated on Oct. 7–Mr. Riley’s birthday. On Nov. 19, 11-year-old Mark Noble of Decatur, Indiana, who had polio, is the first patient admitted to the hospital.
Steps to research
The Riley Research Building opens. The building, with its laboratories and equipment capabilities, sets the groundwork for a strong research program.
During this time, the hospital attracts new, highly skilled pediatric specialists and subspecialists, dramatically increasing the number of faculty in the Department of Pediatrics during chairman Dr. Lyman Meiks’ tenure from 1951 to 1966. Watch video to learn more about pediatric research at Riley:
Indiana’s first pediatric cardiac catheterization laboratory opens at Riley.
Indiana's first pediatric open-heart procedure is performed by Dr. Harris Schumacker.
Neurosurgery begins at the hospital.
Innovative procedure
Dr. Paul Raymond Lurie, the first pediatric cardiologist in Indiana and former division chief of cardiology at Riley, is the first in the country to perform percutaneous cardiac catheterization in children.
A heart first
Riley Children’s becomes the first hospital in Indiana, and one of the first in the nation, to utilize echocardiography to diagnose congenital heart defects.
Providing a national model
The Baxter Parent Care Pavilion opens, providing visitation and in-room sleeping accommodations for parents, thus creating a national model for family-centered care.
As pioneered by Dr. Morris Green, the Chairman of the Department of Pediatrics from 1967 to 1987, this novel concept allowed families to reside full time at the bedside with their child, whereas previously parents were not allowed to be actively involved in their child’s healthcare.
Today, the concept has expanded to develop the Ronald McDonald House, a facility that allows families to stay within or near the hospital, offering overnight rooms and essential amenities. As the Ronald McDonald House stands as the largest of its kind in the nation, families can fully take part in their child’s medical journey. Watch the video to learn more about how Riley is a leading pioneer for family centered care:
Indiana’s first
Dr. John Brown performs the first staged Fontan procedure in Indiana. The surgery keeps oxygenated and deoxygenated blood from mixing in the heart.
Cochlear Implant
Led by Dr. Richard Miyamoto, physicians at Riley perform Indiana’s first pediatric cochlear implant procedure to correct deafness.
Another cardiac milestone
Indiana’s first infant and newborn heart transplants are performed by Dr. John Brown and Dr. Mark Turrentine.
The Ryan White legacy
Ryan White, an Indiana teenager and Riley patient, dies of HIV/AIDS in April 1990. Treated by infectious disease specialist at Riley, Dr. Martin Kleiman, Ryan's legacy spurs movement for many. Activists push for improved medications of HIV/AIDS, researchers aim to learn more and physicians begin implementing better treatments for their patients.
This significant time changes the public conception of HIV/AIDS and infectious diseases as a whole. Watch the video below to learn how Riley has been leading in breakthroughs in infectious disease:
Research Center opens
Trauma designation
Riley Hospital for Children earns a Level I Pediatric Trauma Center verification from the American College of Surgeons, making it one of a select number of children’s hospitals in the nation to earn the designation.
Cancer center opens
Indiana’s first and only pediatric cancer center, including the state’s only stem cell transplant unit, opens at Riley. There, Indiana’s first pediatric cord blood transplant is performed.
Name change
James Whitcomb Riley Hospital for Children joins Indiana University Hospital and Methodist Hospital to form Clarian Health Partners, and now is referred to as Riley Hospital for Children.
Renowned heart center
Indiana’s only dedicated unit for children with heart defects, the Riley Heart Center, opens, providing more convenient and accessible heart care for pediatric patients.
Cancer research
Riley Hospital for Children is one of just 19 hospitals in the country selected to perform Phase I pediatric cancer research protocol. In Phase I studies, drugs are tested to evaluate the dosages of the treatment, and how often the treatment can be administered.
Revolutionary procedures
Dr. Mark Turrentine leads the way for Riley Children’s to be the first physician in the state and the second in the nation to receive special government permission to use and implant the Berlin Heart, a ventricular assist device to treat complex cardiac problems. After the successful procedure, the Berlin Heart eventually gains FDA approval in 2011.
In the same year, Drs. John Brown and Mark Turrentine are known as the first in Indiana to perform a pulmonary autograft mitral valve replacement, a revolutionary procedure to replace the mitral valve. Watch the video below to learn more about the Berlin Heart procedure at Riley:
Building expansion
Riley Children’s announces plans for a $500 million expansion to make the hospital one of the largest children's hospitals in the nation. Construction on the 10-story, 675,000-sqaure foot Simon Family Tower begins in the summer of 2006. The first phase opens in 2011, and the building is completed in 2013.
In the same year, Riley Children’s at IU Health North in Carmel opens, offering expanded pediatric care to families on the north side of Indianapolis.
Highly ranked
Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health is ranked in 10 out of 10 specialties by U.S. News & World Report. Since then, Riley Children’s has consistently ranked as the only nationally ranked children's hospital in Indiana.
Statewide system
Riley Children’s Health, Indiana’s only full service statewide pediatric health system, is formally announced. An extension of Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health, Riley Children’s Health offers complete, comprehensive pediatric care ranging from routine primary care checkups to the most complex acute care needs from highly skilled pediatric specialists.
Maternity Tower opens
The Riley Maternity Tower opens in 2021, providing support and amenities to mothers and their newborns. In the state-of-the-art facility, patients have access to a full space of birthing options, with expert care that is available 24/7.