New Data Center Helps St. Jude Children’s Hospital Grow By Leaps and Bounds
In May of 2015, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital acquired property in Memphis, Tennessee for a four-acre land parcel that lies adjacent to the existing campus. A new data center will be built on the site that is three stories tall and contains 60,000 sq feet to house the hospital’s support operations.
Two zoning exceptions must be overcome before the construction project begins. Current zoning restrictions for the area designate that buildings can only be two stories tall, but the research hospital requires three stories to contain enough office space necessary to continue the forward thinking research that they are known for. The second exemption to overcome is a larger area of setback for the front of the building so that adequate parking will be available for use.
The new data center will support hospital operations and also the research facilities needed for the high technological approach to medical research that is the heart of St. Jude’s research and care program for childhood diseases. The Pediatric Cancer Genome Project provides microarray services to analyze gene expression and Comparative Genomic Hybridization to process samples and acquire data and analysis to uncover genetics and hopefully discover cures for childhood diseases.
Treatment programs already in existence at St Jude Children’s Research Hospital include Brain Tumors, leukemia/Lymphoma, Infectious Diseases, Blood Disorders, Sickle Cell Disease and Solid Tumors.
Treatment resources in use by St Jude includes Bone Marrow Transplants, Cancer Predisposition, Surgery, Clinics on Campus, St. Jude Affiliates Clinics and After Cancer Treatment programs for the ongoing care of children stricken by deadly diseases.
The additional space for the data center is important to the St. Jude organization to lead the manner in which the world understands childhood cancer and other life threatening diseases, obtains treatment procedures and the ultimate goal of defeating childhood disease. St. Jude Children’s Research Center was officially opened in 1962 as a shrine to St. Jude Thaddeus. Danny Thomas, a young entertainer at the time, vowed to build a shrine in this name to the patron saint of hopeless causes to whom he sought guidance from at the time. Today his vision for the care of children lives on and grows to encompass all aspects of children’s health and saving their lives.
