Rideout Health History

Learn more about Adventist Health and Rideout from Phebe Rideout herself here.

In 1907, Marysville was the largest city between Sacramento and Portland, Oregon.

It had impressive buildings, was the center of railroad operations, had a strong economy and well-developed social institutions, including theaters, fine schools and one of the first public libraries west of the Mississippi River. Five decades removed from its Gold Rush heyday, when for a brief moment it was the third largest city in the state, Marysville in 1907 was still considered the hub of all economic and cultural activity in the northern Sacramento Valley.

Yes, Marysville had everything a modern city could offer.

Unless, of course, you became sick or injured.

As the Marysville Daily Appeal pointed out in a 1907 article announcing rumors that a remarkable woman from a remarkable pioneer California family was about to donate her family's 4,000 square foot "mansion" for a hospital: "Marysville is in need of a hospital. There is now no place where sick and injured can be taken for treatment and the expense and delay consequent upon sending patients to Sacramento or other places where hospitals are maintained is too great for safety."

The rumors announced in the 1907 Daily Appeal article that Mrs. Phebe Rideout was willing to give to the City of Marysville her residence property at the southeast corner of Fifth and E streets to be used as a public hospital were true.

The news paper said, "It would be a pleasant and agreeable occurrence for this city…if the gift should be made. Marysville…with her great army of employed and the center of operations of railroads and other industries employing a great number of men, should by all means have a hospital, and if Mrs. Rideout will donate her residence for the nucleus of the institution the people of the city will certainly attend to the detail and remodel the building and furnish the hospital."

Her home became a hospital, and the hospital grew into a community health organization, the Rideout Health Group, which cares for patients in our Northern California region.

History Company Information

The Yuba-Sutter region's rich and fascinating history includes hospitals that were established in the early 1900s to provide healthcare for the communities. Rideout Memorial Hospital was founded in 1907, by Phebe Dunning Rideout, while Fremont Medical Center's beginnings can be traced to the 1920s. As the communities evolved, decisive yet separate leadership directed the progress and operations of Rideout Hospitals.

In 1983, the management of the two hospitals determined that the healthcare needs of the people we serve would be better served and resources more efficiently managed by combining the hospitals to create a united healthcare system. United Communities Medical Services was formed. The name changed to Fremont-Rideout Health Group in 1992 and in 2012, we became Rideout Health.

Merging with Adventist Health

Rideout Health was acquired by Adventist Health in May 2018 to become Adventist Health and Rideout and it continues to operate as a not-for-profit community- based healthcare system, which is governed by a 15-member community volunteer Board of Directors. Our two medical networks have combined their resources to more efficiently service our communities.

Adventist Health’s compassionate and talented team of 35,000 includes associates, medical staff physicians, allied health professionals and volunteers driven in pursuit of one mission: living God's love by inspiring health, wholeness and hope. Together, we are transforming the American healthcare experience with an innovative, yet timeless, whole-person focus on physical, mental, spiritual and social healing.

Today, Adventist Health and Rideout maintains one of the lowest average daily rates for hospital stays in California and provides general medical/surgical care, intensive care, heart care, pain management care, urologic care, neurosurgery, cancer care, extended care services, a senior living/senior services campus and a full range of support and ancillary services.