Instead of waiting to schedule a doctor’s appointment until a health concern comes along, a new clinic in Midtown is taking a more proactive approach to health care.

When it comes to curing pediatric cancer on a global scale, treatment is just one piece of the puzzle.

Bringing comfort and joy to patients at St. Francis Hospital-Memphis is what Lily, an 8-year-old Coton du Tulear breed, does best. Lily is a part of St. Francis’ newly expanded volunteer program consisting of 11 new members, including her handler, Richard Herbert. The first pet therapy dog at the hospital, she made her public debut on Wednesday, Sept. 26.

When 9-year-old Sydney Ives attended her first piano lesson, she put her hands on the keys and when she attempted to play a note, her right hand fell flat to her side, as if she’d had a stroke.

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is collaborating with a Singapore-based clinical stage biopharmaceutical company to develop a novel way of using a patient’s immune system to fight cancer.

The impetus of CHOICES’ new facility is just that – more choices when it comes to reproductive health. Founded in 1974 as a nonprofit community health agency offering free pregnancy testing, first-trimester abortions and counseling, over the years, CHOICES has evolved into a full gynecology practice. CHOICES’ next mission is creating a national model for combining abortion, birth, adoption and other reproductive services under the same roof with its new 16,000-square-foot center for reproductive health under construction across from Moore Tech on Poplar Avenue.

Nikia Grayson’s career started as a sports photographer.