Smith & Nephew, a global leader in orthopaedics, recently presented a
$1 million pledge to the campaign to build the new Le Bonheur Children’s Medical Center.

“We are pleased to partner with Le Bonheur on this worthwhile project,” said Joseph DeVivo, president of Smith & Nephew Orthopaedic Reconstruction. “We share a common vision of helping improve people’s lives by repairing and healing the human body.” Globally, Smith & Nephew has 9,600 employees and operates in 31 countries around the world generating annual sales of nearly $2.8 billion.  In the Mid-South, Smith & Nephew, employs more than 1,800 employees.

The new Le Bonheur will be located north of the current hospital at the corner of Poplar Avenue and Dunlap Street on what is now the site of Memphis Mental Health Institute. Currently, Le Bonheur has outgrown its facilities and is unable to accommodate all the services children in the region need. Le Bonheur will replace current inpatient care rooms and clinics with a new facility. The new hospital, which will be complete in 2010, will consist of 12 floors and 650,000 square feet of space. 

At a projected cost of $327 million, Le Bonheur must raise a significant portion of funds from the community. The fund-raising campaign for the new facility is chaired by former CEO of Accredo Health, Inc., David Stevens. The Le Bonheur campaign committee has already raised approximately $72 million toward a $100 million goal.

 “The generous gift to Le Bonheur from Smith & Nephew will enable both institutions to further their outstanding work in the field of pediatric healthcare,” said Larry Papasan, Le Bonheur Foundation Board member and immediate past board chairman. “The expansion of Le Bonheur is going to change the Memphis horizon in many ways and will inevitably have a positive impact on the families of corporations like Smith & Nephew who have corporate headquarters here.”

“Smith & Nephew is committed to being a responsible business, assisting the people and communities in which we work. We are proud to partner with Le Bonheur Children’s Medical Center for infrastructure improvements that will benefit us now and in the future,” said Mark Augusti, president, Smith & Nephew, Trauma & Clinical Therapies.

Le Bonheur CEO/President Meri Armour, MSN, MBA said Smith & Nephew’s gift will play an important role in helping Le Bonheur become one of the nation’s premier children’s hospitals. “With the support of generous corporate partners, we will be able to provide children with the best facility in which to receive outstanding clinical care,” she said.

After the new Le Bonheur addition is complete, the eastern two-thirds of the existing hospital will be demolished to make way for a 400-car patient parking garage, a new entry boulevard and a site for future expansion. The existing West Tower will be retained and used for education, research, logistical services, parent stay rooms and medical staff facilities. After construction is complete, Le Bonheur’s overall campus will be approximately 1 million square feet.

Founded in 1952, Le Bonheur  is the Mid-South’s first and only comprehensive pediatric medical facility. Every year, Le Bonheur treats almost 140,000 children from 47 states and many countries.

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.

Le Bonheur is currently in the midst of a fund-raising campaign to build a new state-of-the art hospital. The $327-million facility is scheduled to open in 2010 and will double the space for patient care, research and teaching. For more information, please call (901) 287-6030 or click here.