Tennessee, Memphis Invest $37M To Improve City Infrastructure

The investments will improve public infrastructure surrounding the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital expansion project in Memphis, TN.

The state of Tennessee, along with the city of Memphis, will invest $37 million in public infrastructure surrounding St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, TN.

The state will invest $12 million in FastTrack funding to improve the public infrastructure surrounding the St. Jude campus in downtown Memphis, which will complement the research institution’s expansion efforts announced in 2015, and will eventually lead to the creation of 1,800 new jobs in Shelby County. The city of Memphis will invest $25 million in public infrastructure projects in addition to the state’s investment. The infrastructure investments will benefit not only St. Jude, but all of the surrounding areas.

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital“We are truly grateful that the state and city have come together with ALSAC and St. Jude to improve the areas surrounding our campus,” said Rick Shadyac, CEO of ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude. “We are confident this partnership will enable us to help more patients as part of St. Jude’s strategic plan, while also creating a more inviting environment for our employees, patients and guests. We also greatly appreciate the governor’s consideration of a multi-year partnership that will benefit our mission and the communities of Memphis and Shelby County as well as the state of Tennessee.”

“As St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital expands its clinical care and research programs as part of a six-year strategic plan to fulfill our mission of finding cures and saving children, it is gratifying to see that the state of Tennessee, the city of Memphis and Shelby County mobilized behind our efforts,” said James R. Downing, M.D., president and chief executive officer of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. “Our plan focuses on treating even more patients on our campus and bringing the best minds in science and medicine to St. Jude to accelerate progress against catastrophic pediatric diseases. We deeply appreciate the commitments being made as part of this partnership to support our work.”

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. Treatments developed at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20 percent to 80 percent since the hospital opened more than 50 years ago. St. Jude treats patients from all 50 states and around the world, and families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing and food.

“St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital has made an immeasurable impact in Memphis, the state of Tennessee, and the world with its life saving research and services. We are excited to assist this great institution by investing in the public infrastructure surrounding its campus,” said Tennessee Economic and Community Development Commissioner Randy Boyd. “With this investment in Memphis’ urban core, along with the investment by the city of Memphis, St. Jude will continue to flourish in our state. I thank St. Jude for creating 1,800 jobs and for continuing to enhance our state and our workforce.”

“The city of Memphis’ investment in public infrastructure will have a great ripple effect in building our future — to enable St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to further meet its life-saving mission, to spur investment in the Pinch District, and to improve an important gateway to our city. It’s exactly what we seek to do in city government — build up the foundations so that our city’s momentum will multiply,” said Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland.

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