Entertainer’s Dream Continues to Grow As St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Builds $114 Million Research Tower in Memphis

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Researched by Industrialinfo.com (Industrial Information Resources, Incorporated; Houston, Texas). St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee is internationally known for its care of children with catastrophic diseases, with a particular focus on pediatric cancers. In addition to providing excellent patient care, the hospital has become equally famous for its groundbreaking disease research and willingness to share those findings with medical teams across the world. The hospital began operations in 1962, the result of a promise that entertainer Danny Thomas had made when he was just beginning his career as a singer and actor. The newest addition to the hospital campus is the $114 million Integrated Patient Care and Research Building (IPCRB), which is currently under construction.

Designed by the SmithGroup (Detroit, Michigan), the six-story building will add 300,000 square-foot of inpatient space and research laboratories. The IBCRB will offer patients updated diagnostic imaging and radiation oncology treatment. Inpatient care will be housed on the second floor, with the remaining four floors earmarked for advanced research and office space. Skanska USA (Parsippany, New Jersey) is managing construction of the project, which should be complete in early 2007.

The IBCRB is just the latest in a series of recent capital expansions at St. Jude’s. In 2003, the hospital opened its own Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) facility to produce drugs, vaccines, proteins, gene-based molecules and other biological products that are developed in-house and with collaborating institutions. In 2004, the Integrated Research Center opened its doors and is completely devoted to discovering new ways to advance the prevention or treatment of cancer and other catastrophic illnesses in children.

While St. Jude’s is investing heavily in capital expansion, the hospital has managed to remain true to Danny Thomas’ core philosophy in regards to patient care. No family ever pays for treatments that are not covered by insurance and those without insurance are never asked to pay. St. Jude’s also assists in payment for housing and transportation needs.

The son of Lebanese immigrants, Thomas gathered together other Arabic-speaking Americans seeking a way to show their gratitude for living in the United States and formed a fund-raising group for the hospital. Today, the group ALSAC (the American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities) is comprised of people from a variety of heritages and as they have for over fifty years, exists solely to raise and provide funds to operate and maintain St. Jude’s.

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