St. Jude Children’s Research: Pediatric Care & Info

St. Jude currently accepts eligible children and young people with diagnosed or suspected conditions such as:

• Pediatric cancers treated by St. Jude.
• Sickle cell disease.
• Selected other serious blood disorders.
• HIV infection.
• Selected severe immune disorders.
• Genetic conditions that increase childhood cancer risk.
• Certain neurological diseases studied by St. Jude.
• Other related life-threatening pediatric diseases within St. Jude programs.

Clinical-trial eligibility

St. Jude states that it accepts most new patients based on their ability to enroll in an open St. Jude clinical trial. Some trials accept only patients who have not yet started certain treatment.

Families who live near Memphis

St. Jude’s current referral guidance says patients living within approximately 180 miles of Memphis may sometimes be accepted even when they are not eligible for an open clinical trial. This is not automatic; the Referral Office still determines whether St. Jude’s disease and medical acceptance criteria are met.

Brain tumor referrals

St. Jude also currently publishes a direct Brain Tumor Team referral route:

Phone: 901-595-2544
Monday–Friday: 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
Email: braintumors@stjude.org
Fax: 901-595-6211

Acute Care Clinic

The Acute Care Clinic evaluates urgent problems in existing St. Jude patients such as:

• Fever or signs of infection.
• Pain.
• Sickle-cell pain episodes.
• Nausea or vomiting.
• Changes in thinking or speaking.
• Difficulty staying awake.
• Other acute treatment-related problems.

Call before coming

Staff ask families to call 901-595-2441 first. A specially trained nurse reviews the child’s symptoms and determines whether the child should come to St. Jude or go to a local Emergency Department.

After-hours arrival

When the St. Jude team tells an established patient to come after hours:

• Before 10 p.m.: go to Patient Registration first.
• After 10 p.m.: go directly to the Infusion Center for check-in.

St. Jude is the first and only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. Its Comprehensive Cancer Center received the NCI’s highest “Exceptional” rating for the third consecutive review in 2025.

Major childhood cancer programs

• Leukemia and lymphoma.
• Brain and spinal tumors.
• Bone tumors and sarcomas.
• Neuroblastoma.
• Retinoblastoma.
• Other childhood solid tumors.
• Relapsed and treatment-resistant cancers.
• Genetic cancer-predisposition syndromes.

St. Jude reports that more than 9,000 patients are seen in a year for treatment and research and that most are treated on a continuing outpatient basis.

St. Jude operates one of the world’s largest bone-marrow-transplant programs focused on children, teens and young adults.

Transplant and cellular-therapy care may be used for selected:

• High-risk leukemia.
• Bone-marrow-failure syndromes.
• Inherited blood diseases.
• Immune disorders.
• Other diseases appropriate for stem-cell transplantation.
• Patients eligible for cellular immunotherapy studies.

A transplant patient is assigned a transplant physician plus an advanced-practice provider. The broader team can include infectious-disease specialists, pharmacists, rehabilitation staff, dietitians, psychologists, Child Life, social workers and quality-of-life/palliative-care specialists.

St. Jude operates one of the country’s largest pediatric sickle-cell treatment programs and is also a federally supported Hemophilia Treatment Center.

Blood disorders treated can include

• Sickle cell disease.
• Alpha and beta thalassemia.
• Aplastic anemia.
• Fanconi anemia.
• Diamond-Blackfan anemia.
• Hemophilia.
• Von Willebrand disease.
• Immune thrombocytopenia.
• Myelodysplastic syndromes.
• Selected inherited hemolytic anemias.
• Other serious hematologic disorders under St. Jude programs.

For an accepted St. Jude patient, the family is not billed by St. Jude for authorized treatment. St. Jude says this includes services such as clinician visits, prescriptions, surgery, therapies and follow-up care.

If the family has insurance

St. Jude bills the insurance company when a patient has coverage, but the family is not asked by St. Jude for copays or deductibles.

If the family does not have insurance

Treatment decisions are not based on the family’s financial resources. St. Jude’s Financial Assistance Policy states that all St. Jude patients participate in the hospital’s financial-assistance program.

Families should still provide current insurance information during registration because St. Jude bills available insurance when applicable.

Main patient entrance

The main entrance for patients and families is the Patient Care Center (PCC). Gate 1 is open at all times, including nights, weekends and holidays.

Current vehicle access for the main patient entrance is through:

North Lauderdale Gate
332 North Lauderdale Street
Memphis, TN 38105

Patient Registration hours

Patient Registration: 901-595-2010.

Patient and family badges

St. Jude issues identification badges to patients and family members for secure campus access, housing, inpatient-unit entry when authorized and meal-account use.

If treatment requires an overnight stay and the family lives more than 35 miles from St. Jude, St. Jude can provide housing without charge, based on treatment schedule, medical needs and availability.

St. Jude states that these housing options together can accommodate hundreds of patient families. For eligible U.S. families requiring lodging, housing may be provided for up to five family members.

Caregiver rule

Patients receiving treatment and staying in St. Jude-sponsored housing normally must have an adult caregiver staying with them. Adult patients coming only for a check-up may have different requirements.

Travel to Memphis

For eligible U.S. patients traveling to Memphis, St. Jude pays transportation costs for the patient and two caregivers.

For international patients and certain adult former patients returning for St. Jude LIFE or similar programs, St. Jude states that it pays travel for the patient and one caregiver.

Local families

Patients living near the hospital may receive shuttle transportation or mileage reimbursement when appropriate.

Free shuttle service connects St. Jude with its patient housing, Le Bonheur and participating hotels. Transportation services operate around treatment and housing needs, with scheduled routes published in the Our St. Jude app and on the hospital website.

Self-parking

Families who self-park need a St. Jude parking tag from Security. Have the vehicle’s license-plate number available when requesting the tag.

After valet closes

If a vehicle was left with valet and needs to be collected after regular valet hours, the PCC security officer can provide the key and directions to the vehicle.

Security: 901-595-4444.

Patient visitors

Patients may receive visitors approved by the patient, legal representative or support person. Visits can be limited when they interfere with treatment, another patient’s care or campus safety.

General public access

Public in-person hospital tours are not currently offered. Non-patient guests must be invited by an approved St. Jude or ALSAC host and pre-registered for security.

Security rules

• The hospital and patient housing are gated.
• Weapons are not allowed except for on-duty law-enforcement personnel.
• Alcohol and illegal drugs are prohibited.
• Patient information is not released over the phone.
• Patient/family ID badges control access to selected areas.

Electronic formal record copy

St. Jude states that requested downloads remain available in the portal for 30 days.

No MyChart account?

Call Health Information Management at 901-595-3680 to request a paper copy.

St. Jude MyChart

MyChart is St. Jude’s secure patient portal connected to its Epic electronic health-record system.

Our St. Jude app

The separate Our St. Jude app handles day-to-day campus information. Families use the same username and password as St. Jude MyChart.

The app can show:

• Clinical appointments.
• Travel reservations and changes.
• Housing reservations.
• Shuttle information and tracking.
• Campus maps and walking directions.
• Current family activities.
• Food information.
• Care-team contacts.
• Current visitor information.

Family Commons

Family Commons is a 45,000-square-foot treatment-free space on the second floor of the Patient Care Center. It includes spaces for rest, art, education, music, family activities, snacks, technology and quiet reflection.

Family Commons is for St. Jude patients and families. Patients are not permitted to use Family Commons during an inpatient admission because of their higher care needs.

Family Resource Center

The Family Resource Center inside Family Commons provides:

• Computers and printing.
• Wi-Fi.
• Private work/call booths.
• Device lending.
• Health-information research help.
• Scanning/faxing.
• Books.
• Notary services.

It is open 24/7 and staffed Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–5:30 p.m.. Phone: 901-595-5700.

Useful family support numbers

Language assistance

Free language-assistance services are available. Families can call the main St. Jude number at 866-278-5833; TTY users can use 711.

Kay Kafe

Kay Kafe is the main hospital cafeteria in the Richard C. Shadyac ALSAC Tower.

Food Services: 901-595-3000.

Family Commons food

The Common Table provides snacks, drinks and grab-and-go foods. Family Commons also has a 24-hour beverage station with complimentary coffee, tea, hot chocolate and flavored water.

Patient room service

Patient-room food service generally operates:

• Monday–Friday: 7 a.m.–9 p.m.
• Weekends/holidays: 7:30 a.m.–9 p.m.

St. Jude also provides patient/caregiver meal accounts and meal support based on the patient’s schedule and housing arrangement.

Some accepted patients can receive parts of their cancer or blood-disorder care closer to home through the St. Jude Affiliate Program.

Current St. Jude pages list a St. Jude clinic in Huntsville, Alabama, plus affiliate locations in:

• Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
• Charlotte, North Carolina.
• Johnson City, Tennessee.
• Shreveport, Louisiana.
• Springfield, Missouri.
• Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Affiliate clinics may provide treatment, clinical-trial care and survivorship support in coordination with the Memphis team. The Referral Office determines whether an affiliate is appropriate for an individual patient.