From the outset, it was clear that the vision unveiled at Regional One Health on Monday wasn’t just about building a hospital with state-of-the-art trauma care or upgraded surgical suites. As Memphis leaders introduced the design and construction team behind the city’s new S1 billion public hospital, they emphasized a broader, deeper goal: to heal Memphis not just physically — but economically.
“We’re not just building a hospital,” Dr. Reginald Coopwood, president and CEO of Regional One Health, said at a news conference. “We’re building hope. This is about combining specialized health care expertise with Memphis’ proven capabilities, ensuring that Memphis businesses grow, scale and build capacity for future opportunities.”
The new Regional One campus will be built on the former Commercial Appeal site on Union Avenue, a stretch of road that Mayor Lee Harris described as “blighted” but ripe with opportunity. In his remarks, Harris called the project “one of the biggest accomplishments in our community,” both for its impact on health care and its power to change the landscape of downtown.
“If you go down Union Avenue right now, you’ll see nothing but a canvas for opportunity,” Harris said. “We’re going to take that opportunity and build an incredible billion-dollar campus for our only public hospital. This is the place where all of us go in an emergency — whether it’s a car accident, a fall or a high-risk pregnancy. It’s where lives are saved every day.”
And that matters not just for Memphis, but for surrounding areas. Regional One Health is the only adult Level 1 Trauma Center within 150 miles and the only verified burn center within 400 miles. The facility also houses the state’s oldest neonatal intensive care unit and serves thousands of high-risk maternity patients annually. But many of its buildings are decades out of date and operating over capacity.
“When I arrived in 2010, this facility was already 15 years past its useful life,” said Coopwood. “We’ve brought plans and concepts forward over the years, but to finally get to this point — after Mayor Harris really took the reins — it’s exciting. Personally, it’s incredibly exciting to see this come to fruition.”
What distinguishes the project is its commitment to economic inclusion. County and hospital officials have mandated that every national firm selected for the project partner meaningfully with Memphis-based businesses — a model rarely executed at this scale in the region.
“This isn’t about companies flying in, taking our dollars, and flying back out,” said Coopwood. “We want our local firms to grow — to go from a $5 million company today to a $20 million company by the time this project is complete.”
Regional One Health project partners include:
- Program Management: Covalus | Allworld (joint venture)
- Architecture & Interior Design: HDR (Omaha) with Memphis firms Self+Tucker Architects, brg3s, Meticulous, and Cornerstone
- Construction Management: Memphis Healthcare Builders, a joint venture of Turner Construction, Flintco, Nickson General Contractors, and Fifer & Associates
- MEP & Fire Engineering: Salas O’Brien with Innovative Engineering Services (Memphis)
- Structural Engineering: Magnusson Klemencic Associates
According to projections shared in the news release, the project, which started in 2023, is expected to generate between $693.6 million and $892.3 million in total economic impact by completion in 2027. The initiative is anticipated to create more than 3,600 direct construction jobs and another 2,300 secondary jobs in related industries.
“These aren’t token partnerships,” Coopwood said. “This is how you build both excellence and community,” he added. “By bringing together the best minds from around the world with the best of Memphis.”
Bringing the project to life required political courage. In 2023, Mayor Harris proposed a wheel tax increase to raise $500 million in county funding for the project — an unpopular move at the time.
“The wheel tax wasn’t popular — maybe it’s a little more popular now,” Harris chuckled during his remarks. “But sometimes leadership means doing what’s necessary, not what’s convenient.”
Shelby County Commission Chair Shante Avant, who also serves as CEO of the Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis, recalled the vote and the sacrifices made by hospital staff who waited at commission meetings late into the night.
“Those folks believed in this project just as much as the public officials did,” Avant said. “They showed up and stayed late. They made this happen.”
She also shared a deeply personal reason why she supports the project: her own cousin’s life was saved at Regional One after a traumatic injury.
“It still touches my heart,” Avant said. “The care he received was bar none. This hospital isn’t just our safety net — it’s our lifeline.”
Few moments in the ceremony were as moving as the words of Kelly Smith, a longtime nurse manager in Regional One’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). With more than 30 years at the hospital, Smith spoke about the emotional burden faced by families, especially those traveling hours from rural parts of Tennessee with no place to stay near their hospitalized newborns.
“We don’t have private rooms for moms. We don’t have a Target House or a Ronald McDonald House,” Smith said. “What we need isn’t a pretty fountain or garden. What we need is space. What our babies and families need is a modern facility.”
When complete, the new facility will include:
- A new bed tower
- Upgraded trauma and burn units
- Expanded women’s and infant services
- Enhanced oncology, post-acute care and emergency departments
Construction is still in the design phase, with major work expected to begin in 2026.
“Regional One has been here for nearly 200 years,” Coopwood said. “This project ensures we’ll be here for the next 200 — stronger, more capable and ready to serve every family that walks through our doors.”
