MERIDIA HEALTH SYSTEM began as a coalition of four Cleveland-area hospitals, and was known as Strategic Health Systems (formed 1984) until 1987. The name was changed to reflect the organization's expansion. The original member hospitals were MERIDIA EUCLID HOSPITAL (formerly Euclid General Hospital); MERIDIA HURON HOSPITAL (formerly Huron Rd. Hospital); Meridia Suburban Hospital (formerly Suburban Community Hospital); and MERIDIA HILLCREST HOSPITAL (formerly Hillcrest Hospital).
In July 1994 Brentwood Hospital merged with Suburban, and the resulting institution was named MERIDIA SOUTH POINTE HOSPITAL in November of that year. In July 1994 Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Ohio (see BLUE CROSS AND BLUE SHIELD OHIO) bought controlling interest in a venture that would oversee the health system. It was the first time an insurance company had gotten into the hospital business in the Cleveland area. In April 1995, Richard J. McCann, former president and chief executive officer of Meridia Health System, was named chairman of the joint venture, and Charles B. Miner, former president and chief executive officer of Meridia Hillcrest and Meridia Huron hospitals, became the president and chief executive officer of the system. Within two years (in 1997) the Meridia Health System became part of the Cleveland Clinic Health System. In 2006 the four hospitals were collectively known as the East Region Hospitals of the Cleveland Clinic Health System.