Mercy breaks ground on new Bella Vista location

BELLA VISTA  – Mercy Northwest Arkansas broke ground on its Mercy Bella Vista facility Thursday (Sept. 6). The groundbreaking ceremony was particularly special with the Melba Shewmaker and Shewmaker family $1.5 million donation to the facility.

Mercy recognized the Shewmaker family and their generosity by naming the Bella Vista location the “Shewmaker Family Campus.” More than 100 community members joined the celebration to learn more about the new multi-specialty facility scheduled to open Fall 2013.

Third and Fourth grade Cooper Elementary students participated in the program offering the pledge of allegiance, pledging to flags presented by the Bella Vista VFW.  Comments from Mercy and Community Leaders spoke to the growth and commitment Mercy has to the community. 

Dan Shewmaker made remarks on behalf of the Shewmaker family. 

He said his family is proud to have been partners with Mercy through the years. His father (Jack Shewmaker) set a precedence in their family to give back to the community.  He instilled in them a 3 prong approach to giving back: Youth Development, Education and Healthcare, according to Dan Shewmaker. 

Mercy Bella Vista will be a 30,000-square-foot facility housing urgent care, imaging and laboratory service, family and internal medicine, cardiology, pediatrics along with other specialties. Mercy has been present in Bella Vista for over 20 years. So expanding health services in the community is a top priority for Mercy. 

“The Northwest Arkansas community has been a partner in our Mercy community master planning process” said Scott Street, Mercy Northwest Arkansas President/CEO.  “Expanding services to meet the needs of our Bella Vista community is a high priority and we’re excited to see our vision and the community’s vision come to fruition.”

Dr. Mark Lee, Bella Vista Mercy Family Practice Physician said he is proud of Mercy for making this commitment of service to the Bella Vista community. As Mercy continues to grow and address the community’s needs, Lee said, “Our philosophy is to help people flourish in life, regardless of the circumstances they are in. We have an approach that addresses the entire person and values, and cares for the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual aspects of life.”

The new facility is part of Mercy’s community master plan unveiled last September. In all, Mercy has plans to spend an estimated $90 million in capital projects and improvements over the next seven years in Northwest Arkansas.