Rendering of Christ Community Health Services‘ S. Third St. Center
This remarkable year has been rocked by the covid-19 pandemic, with time, resources, and energy poured into fighting the life-changing virus. But as brave medical professionals continue to do their best around the clock to help fight it, Memphis medical institutions are making key discoveries or making moves in other fields. With everything from new headquarters, innovative sickle-cell treatments, or changing leadership, Memphis continues at the forefront of medical innovation.
Christ Community Health Services Plans Health Center
Mark the spot on 3362 South Third Street. In a couple of years, it will be unrecognizable thanks to the efforts of Christ Community Health Services (CCHS). Even during this tough pandemic year, the nonprofit community health initiative is making plans for a new health center at the place where its mission began over two decades ago.
CCHS started out in a small office 25 years ago, but under the leadership of CEO Shantelle Leatherwood, it plans to revitalize the area with a $32 million investment plan. The plan calls for a complete revamp of what is mainly almost 90,000 square feet of abandoned mall space, as well as a large, 500-place parking lot.
The new clinic will contain 24 exam rooms, behavioral health services, a counseling center for groups and individuals, and a large dental clinic. In addition, CCHS plans a second building on-site to host specialty medical partners.
Aesthetically, the new center will have a predominantly glass exterior, with plenty of outdoor spaces and art rooms.
Currently, CCHS has a network of 11 centers, an annual budget of $46 million, and employs 415 people. As a federally qualified health center, CCHS serves patients in extreme poverty. Charges are based on income, while homeless patients are served for free.
CCHS hopes to break ground on the project soon, with a completion date scheduled for 2022.
UTHSC Fesearcher Makes Strides in Sickle-Cell Treatment
What kind of options are out there for those battling sickle-cell disease? Over the past century, the FDA has approved only four drugs to treat the group of blood disorders. But at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), Dr. Athena Starland-Davenport is working to find new treatment options.
Dr. Athena Starland-Davenport
Earlier this year, she secured a $1 million grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute for her project, “titled MicroRNA-based Epigenetic Approach to Induce Fetal Hemoglobin.” Starland-Davenport’s research is focused on a small molecule – miRNA29Bb – in the DNA methyltransferase inhibitor class of epigenetic modulators.
“In the initial CORNET application, my team provided preliminary results to show that miRNA29b could increase levels of fetal hemoglobin in a compatible human cell line, but we needed further preliminary data to determine what effect miRNA29b had on fetal hemoglobin induction in red blood cells from individuals with and without sickle cell disease,” Starland-Davenport said in August.
The NIH funding she received will be disbursed over three years, aimed toward collecting blood samples from sickle-cell patients so a team can test whether the molecule improves clinical symptoms, with a long-term goal of creating a new drug.
Sickle cell is a common disease, found in more than 100,000 people in the United States, and 1 in 13 African Americans have the sickle cell trait. The mutation causes production of an abnormal sickle hemoglobin, which can lead to organ failure.
Campbell Clinic CEO Announces Retirement
George Hernandez, who has led Campbell Clinic since taking the reins in 2010, announced his retirement at the end of 2020. Daniel Shumate, who has served as the clinic’s CFO in the same time span, will take over as CEO next year.
George Hernandez
Hernandez’s full tenure stretches back to 1995 and he has seen the institution make great strides over 30-plus years. Revenues stood at about $30 million when he first started at the company, but under his leadership, it’s up to around $300 million annually. He’s also seen steady employment growth, with Campbell Clinic employing about 600 staffers and medical professionals.
Some recent achievements by Hernandez, who earlier this year was named an Inside Memphis Business CEO of the Year, include the completion of a flagship medical office at 7887 Wolf River Boulevard in late 2019. The facility has four stories, 120,000 square feet, and hosts office space, an eight-operating-room ambulatory surgery center, and physical therapy services.
The new building also includes the state-of-the-art Accel Performance and Wellness Center, 11,000 square feet of dedicated to using techniques designed to treat professional athletes, including underwater and antigravity treadmills, nutritional guidance, and cryotherapy.
A few institutions dominate federal funding
During the initial coronavirus surge, hospitals and medical practices sometimes struggled to stay afloat. Many had to make cuts due to reduced cash flow. But when the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services started divvying up federal money from the CARES Act, Baptist Memorial Healthcare Corp. was the big winner.
The network was able to bring in more than $100 million in relief money over the summer. That, coupled with other decisions like hefty executive pay cuts, meant that Baptist was able to avoid layoffs that unfortunately plagued so many other healthcare providers. As of now, Baptist Memorial Health Care has brought in over $150 million.
Another big winner was Methodist Le Bonheur, which netted more than $40 million in funding.
Regional One Takes COVID-19 Treatment to Trials
As the United States continues to see plenty of COVID-19 cases, Regional One (in partnership with UTHSC) is set to participate in a clinical trial program. The two late-stage clinical trials will evaluate Regeneron’s REGN-COV2, a two-antibody cocktail for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19.
“By enrolling in one of the clinical studies, individuals in our community suffering with COVID-19 symptoms or living with someone with covid-19 will have the opportunity to gain early access to a potentially life-saving treatment or preventive option and be part of an effort that may be far-reaching,” says Martin Croce, MD, chief medical officer at Regional One Health and a professor of surgery and chief of the Division of Trauma and Critical Care at UTHSC. Drs. Amber Thacker, Jay Sullivan, and John Jefferies are leading the efforts, and are conducting trials with patients at Regional One Health’s downtown campus.
The first trials, a Phase 2/3 trial, will gauge the cocktail’s ability to treat patients who tested positive for COVID-19 and are symptomatic, but did not require hospitalization. The Phase 3 trial will test its ability to prevent infections with individuals who may have had exposure to the virus.
Regeneron’s antibodies work by binding themselves to the SARS-CoV2 protein, preventing it from attaching to cells in the human body. That process is expected to kill SARS-CoV-2.
“Memphis is a hard-hit area,” said Thacker when the trials were announced. “Many of our patients have comorbidities that put them at higher risk, so we see patients who are very sick. Treating people before they need to be in the hospital, or giving them better outcomes if they are hospitalized, is an amazing thing.”
St. Jude Finds Positive Trial Results for Anti-Malarial Drug
In March, researchers at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital received the first results from a preclinical trial investigating the effectiveness of an anti-malarial drug. The fast-acting compound, discovered at St. Jude, showed promising results, with the findings released in the Lancet Infectious Diseases journal in March.
“The results support further development of the compound SJ733 as a fast-acting component of combination anti-malarial therapy,” says corresponding author Dr. Aditya Gaur, of the St. Jude Department of Infectious Diseases. “The drug was well tolerated and well absorbed with a rapid anti-parasitic effect.”
Malaria, caused by a parasite that is transmitted by infected mosquitos, targets red blood cells, and is still a leading cause of death or illness around the globe. New trials are needed, however, due to the parasite’s emerging drug resistance. The preclinical trials showed that SJ733 worked against malaria parasites that are resistant to frontline drugs like artemisin-based therapy.
The compound disrupts malaria’s ability to remove excess sodium from red blood cells. As a result, the build-up of sodium causes the infected cells to be less flexible, and they are consequently removed by the immune system or are caught in small blood vessels. After the trial, researchers found no significant SJ733-related side effects.
Newsroom Pivots to Hospital Building
The former location of The Commercial Appeal at 495 Union Avenue found itself transformed during the summer. Contractors and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers worked quickly in April and May to turn the building into an overflow hospital for patients of COVID-19.
The reconstruction project provided for 401 available beds spread throughout four floors. There were also 33 negative-pressure rooms to help tamp down the risk of spreading the infection. After its completion, control of the facility was handed over to the federal government.
At a cost of more than $51 million, the Memphis overflow hospital was one of the most expensive projects of its kind in the United States. As of mid-October, the facility has not been needed.
