
On June 15, Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital will celebrate its 58th birthday with a Grand Opening celebration for its new hospital. The celebration begins with a parade at 10 a.m. around the hospital’s campus. Children, families, doctors and nurses will march in the parade narrated by Roscoe Orman and Sonia Manazon, better known as Gordon and Maria from Sesame Street. A ceremony will follow on the new hospital lawn, at the corner of Poplar Avenue and Dunlap Street. After the ceremony, guests are invited to see portions of the new hospital, which will officially open for patients in late September. Tours will run until 2 p.m. Also, the hospital will host a community open house on Sunday, Sept. 12, from noon to 4 p.m., when more of the hospital will be open for tours. The parade and ceremony will be broadcast live on WMC Channel 5 and http://www.wmcstations.com. Also Monday, June 14 at 6:30 p.m., WREG News Channel 3 will air a live 30-minute special about the new hospital.
When the new Le Bonheur Children’s opens its doors, it will be the largest children’s hospital in Tennessee. Over five years, the hospital and its construction will contribute $3.7 billion in economic impact to our community. More than $100 million of the construction costs were donated by the community, making it the largest fundraising campaign in the city’s history. The $340-million, 255-bed hospital will nearly double Le Bonheur’s current space for patient care, research and teaching. Everything from interior design to state-of-the-art technology is focused on providing exceptional care for children and families. The new Le Bonheur will allow the hospital to continue to be a resource for families; to recruit and retain top talent from around the country; and expand pediatric medicine for decades to come.
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital opened on June 15, 1952 thanks to the generosity of Le Bonheur Club. The Club released balloons with the hospital keys tied to them with the intention that the doors of the hospital would always be open to children in need. Nearly 60 years later Le Bonheur continues the club’s vision of ensuring excellent health care is available for every child. Founded in 1952, Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital is the Mid-South’s first and only comprehensive pediatric medical facility. Every year Le Bonheur treats 130,000 children from across the country and throughout the world. Le Bonheur is home to one of the nation’s 10 busiest pediatric emergency departments and hosts one of the largest pediatric surgical brain tumor programs. The new $340-million Le Bonheur will open for patients in late September. The 610,000-square-foot facility significantly increases the space for patient care, research and teaching. For more information, please call (901) 287-6030 or visit www.lebonheur.org.
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