Commission approves Raleigh lease for Shelby Cares health‑hub pilot; commissioners ask for expansion data and cost estimates

The Shelby County commission approved a three‑year lease for Shelby Cares operations in Raleigh, agreeing to a lease and tenant‑improvement package while asking the Office of Innovation for more detailed data on needs, costs and geographic priorities.

The approved lease covers 4,123.64 square feet at 3620 Austin Peay Highway, Suite 2, with equal monthly rent installments of $3,333.87 beginning Aug. 1, 2025, for a three‑year term and a total contract amount reported in staff materials as $116,685.45. The lease includes tenant improvements up to $104,000; the record shows the item requires FY2026 general funds in the amount of $140,672.57. The facilities committee substituted the item prior to the commission vote and the full board approved it (recorded vote: 9 ayes, 1 abstention).

Why it matters: Shelby Cares is a community health‑hub pilot run in partnership with university and philanthropic partners. Expansion decisions involve both county funding and outside partners; commissioners asked for transparent criteria and cost estimates to determine where county funds should be concentrated.

Discussion highlights Commissioner Bradford and others sponsored the lease. Commissioner Bridal Thornton said she would not support the item until the board received a fuller plan demonstrating how Shelby Cares sites are prioritized and how costs are estimated countywide. Thornton said she had requested a countywide needs assessment for more than a year and wanted to ensure equitable access across ZIP codes.

Blair Benavides of the Office of Innovation and Strategic Communications replied that staff had provided commissioners with presentation materials, hotspot analyses conducted with the University of Tennessee, and suggested sustainability options. Benavides said the initiative is being launched in collaboration with UT and philanthropic partners and that stand‑up costs for a single health hub are roughly $400,000 per year: “It takes about $400,000 per year to stand up a single health hub.” She said Shelby County government would not be the sole funder in each location and that partners would be sought for sustainability.

Public comment and administration No formal public opposition to the lease appeared on the record during the item; commissioners asked for committee follow‑up. Several commissioners asked that the Office of Innovation present details to committee — including the methodology for selecting Raleigh and other sites, sustainability options, and projected annual costs — before further expansions or additional county spending.

Vote and next steps The lease passed the commission with nine ayes and one abstention (Commissioner Thornton abstained). Innovation staff committed to re‑sharing presentation materials and the hotspot analysis with commissioners and to bring fuller sustainability and cost data back to committee for further review.