{"id":4028,"date":"2025-03-05T15:48:17","date_gmt":"2025-03-05T15:48:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/medschool.vanderbilt.edu\/vanderbilt-medicine\/?p=4028"},"modified":"2025-03-05T15:48:17","modified_gmt":"2025-03-05T15:48:17","slug":"a-historic-addition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medschool.vanderbilt.edu\/vanderbilt-medicine\/a-historic-addition\/","title":{"rendered":"A historic addition"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Serving as the new front door to Vanderbilt University Hospital, the Jim Ayers Tower will be a visible reminder of the monumental impact Janet and Jim Ayers have had on the people of Tennessee. (rendering courtesy of Blair + Mui Dowd Architects)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In October 2024, Vanderbilt University Medical Center announced the naming of the new expansion tower for Vanderbilt University Hospital as the Jim Ayers Tower in recognition of Janet and Jim Ayers\u2019 philanthropic legacy and abiding interest in improving the health care and quality of life for Tennesseans.<\/p>\n

The naming of the 15-level, 470,000-square-foot tower, currently under construction between 21st Avenue South and Medical Center Drive on the Main Campus in Nashville, honors the couple\u2019s steadfast community leadership and longtime connection to VUMC. The tower is scheduled to open its first floor \u2014 Level 7 \u2014 in October.<\/p>\n

A Parsons, Tennessee, native, Ayers has achieved business successes in financial services, real estate and health care ventures, and he is widely recognized for increasing educational opportunities for young people. In 1999, he established The Ayers Foundation, now known as the Ayers Foundation Trust, which supports a wide range of programs and institutions.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are honored to announce the Jim Ayers Tower, which will allow us to better fulfill the mission of Vanderbilt University Medical Center to make health care personal for the patients we serve. The tower\u2019s new space is essential as we expand to meet the needs of our rapidly growing Middle Tennessee communities,\u201d said Jeff Balser, MD, PhD, President and CEO of VUMC and Dean of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.<\/p>\n

\"\"
A construction beam signed by Janet and Jim Ayers and members of the VUMC community will be displayed in the Jim Ayers Tower. Photo by Erin O. Smith.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cAs our largest facility expansion to date, this structure is being named to recognize the unparalleled dedication of Janet and Jim Ayers to the health and well-being of all Tennesseans.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Ayerses expressed their gratitude at having the tower named in Jim\u2019s honor.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo have my name connected with empowering access to health care is the honor of a lifetime,\u201d Jim Ayers said. \u201cThis isn\u2019t just a building but rather a space for families to receive care that can improve their lives. I\u2019m humbled that it also represents how much Janet and I value the well-being of everyone in the community and that it will stand as a reminder long into the future of the importance of helping people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJim and I hold Nashville and all of Tennessee close to our hearts,\u201d said Janet Ayers, who spent her career in health care administration. \u201cThe Jim Ayers Tower reflects the principles we share with VUMC of serving others and ensuring the best quality of life, including for those who may otherwise be underserved. We are so touched to see Jim recognized in such a meaningful way.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In October 2024, Vanderbilt University Medical Center announced the naming of the new expansion tower for Vanderbilt University Hospital as the Jim Ayers Tower in recognition of Janet and Jim Ayers\u2019 philanthropic legacy and abiding interest in improving the health care and quality of life for Tennesseans. The naming of the 15-level, 470,000-square-foot tower, currently…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":216,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[11,48],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4028","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-vm-around-the-medical-center","category-vm-spring-2025"],"acf":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcDnub-12Y","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/medschool.vanderbilt.edu\/vanderbilt-medicine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4028","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/medschool.vanderbilt.edu\/vanderbilt-medicine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/medschool.vanderbilt.edu\/vanderbilt-medicine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medschool.vanderbilt.edu\/vanderbilt-medicine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/216"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medschool.vanderbilt.edu\/vanderbilt-medicine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4028"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/medschool.vanderbilt.edu\/vanderbilt-medicine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4028\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4082,"href":"https:\/\/medschool.vanderbilt.edu\/vanderbilt-medicine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4028\/revisions\/4082"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/medschool.vanderbilt.edu\/vanderbilt-medicine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4028"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medschool.vanderbilt.edu\/vanderbilt-medicine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4028"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medschool.vanderbilt.edu\/vanderbilt-medicine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4028"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}