LINCOLN -- The new Arkansas Children's Hospital for Northwest Arkansas is scheduled to open in January 2018, and will serve about 200,000 children living in 11 counties in the northwest Arkansas region.
Elizabeth Sullivan, senior development officer with Arkansas Children's Hospital, gave an update on the new facility last week to Lincoln Area Kiwanis Club.
Arkansas Children's Northwest will have 233,613 square feet, 320 health professionals, 24 beds, five operating rooms, 30 beds in the emergency department and an outpatient clinic with 30 rooms.
It is estimated to have 328,460 patient visits over the next five years.
Arkansas Children's Inc., will bring the same culture and care it provides at the Children's Hospital in Little Rock to Northwest Arkansas, Sullivan said.
The need for a new facility in this region is evident, she noted. About 25 percent of the patient visits in Little Rock come from 11 counties in the northwest Arkansas region, including Washington, Benton, Boone, Madison, Franklin, Johnson and Logan.
Angel One flies to this region about four times a day, according to Sullivan.
In 2016, the Lowell clinic, operated by Arkansas Children's Hospital, had 21,000 patients.
Nationally, it is recommended that a children's hospital be available for regions with 70 children per square mile. Northwest Arkansas has 78 children per square mile and the region is growing daily. The Little Rock area has 122 children per square mile.
Sullivan said the Northwest campus will include nature trails, ponds and gardens for patients and their families.
She described the grounds as a "sanctuary" setting for families.
Most specialty services will be on site at the new hospital. For some specialties, such as heart conditions, Children's Hospital in Little Rock will fly in physicians to care for those cases.
Arkansas Children's Northwest will have a pediatric intensive care unit but will not have a neonatal intensive care unit. Sullivan explained that Arkansas Children's Hospital has the only Level 4 neonatal intensive care unit in Arkansas and it would not make sense to compete with the Little Rock facility.
Arkansas Children's Northwest will provide short-term care. If patients need longer care, they will be sent to the Little Rock campus, Sullivan said.
The new facility is being built near Arvest Park on 37 acres of land in Springdale donated by several families. The hospital will cost $167 million to build and Arkansas Children's Inc., proposes to raise $70 million of that through donations and fundraisers. To date, $56 million has been raised. The rest will be financed with low-interest bonds.
It is estimated it will cost $261 million in operating costs for the next five years.
The campus design includes future construction as needed. Phase 2 will be a standalone building on the property with another 48 beds.
Several people at the Kiwanis meeting testified from personal experience about the quality of care at Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock and how that is needed in Northwest Arkansas.
Sullivan worked for the Razorback Foundation before changing jobs to help with fundraising for the new Children's Hospital. She told those at the meeting that she is excited to be on board to help build a new hospital for children in the area.
General News on 02/15/2017