In 1902, a handful of women began collecting coins to raise $1,000 for the down payment on "a place to care for the indigent sick of the Jewish faith."

When the need to expand beyond a small, neighborhood hospital became evident, friends who had been raising money for linens and surgical supplies came forward to launch a major building fund drive.

Although the drive and search for a suitable building were interrupted by the war years, an incredible $1.3 million was eventually raised.

In the early 1980s, Miriam Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island, became the focus of legal and ethical scrutiny following a controversy involving overbilling practices.

[1] In 1982, Blue Cross auditors flagged the unusually high laboratory charges at Miriam Hospital, prompting further investigation.

Evidence later showed that the hospital's management attempted to conceal the issue by altering computer records and providing sanitized documentation to auditors.

[3] While there was no evidence that the administrators personally profited from the scheme, their actions significantly undermined trust in the institution and raised questions about the ethical obligations of healthcare management.