St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital announces $11.5 billion expansion plan, largest in hospital’s history

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is embarking on its largest strategic expansion in the hospitals nearly 60-year history.

The St. Jude Board of Governors adopted the $11.5 billion plan last month. Projects include a $500 million outpatient clinic and doctors’ office and a new $100 million patient family housing facility.

The plan includes $1.9 billion in capital spending, but the hospital says most of the $11.5 billion is being funded by donors.

“We’re committing substantial resources to broaden scientific understanding, raise survival rates, improve quality of life, and connect researchers worldwide in the quest to find cures and save children with cancer and other deadly diseases,” said Dr. James Downing, St. Jude president and CEO.

The expansion builds on the previous six-year strategic plan, which was the latest at the time and resulted in a $7 billion investment. During that period, St. Jude accepted 20 percent more new cancer patients, increased faculty by 30 percent and staff by 23 percent and resulted in several large-scale construction projects, including the soon-to-open $412 million Advanced Research Center.

The new six-year plan focuses on expanding patient care and research related to pediatric diseases, including work in cancer, blood disorders, neurological and infectious diseases. It adds 1,400 employees.

Highlights of the new plan include:

A $3.7 billion investment expanding cancer-focused research and related clinical care.
More than triple St. Jude’s global investment to improve survival rates around the world.
More than $1 billion invested to expand research in nonmalignant diseases.