Arkansas Childrens Hospital Plans New Hospital Near Arvest Ballpark

Arkansas Children’s Hospital officials have developed a strategy that will change the landscape of pediatric healthcare in Arkansas, and a new hospital in Springdale will be a key part of the plan.

Marcy Doderer, president and CEO of the Little Rock-based health care organization, said Friday night that ACH — the only pediatric medical center in the state and the sixth-largest in the country — will build a 225,000-SF pediatric hospital campus in Springdale. She made the announcement at the 8^th annual Color of Hope Charity Gala, an ACH fundraiser, at the John Q. Hammons Center in Rogers.

“We have looked hard at Northwest Arkansas,” Doderer said. “We’ve met with physicians, community leaders and families to understand the needs of Northwest Arkansas, and we’ve come to the conclusion that creating a destination for children’s health care, including an actual pediatric hospital, is the best solution for this part of the state.”

The proposed campus will sit west of Interstate 49 between Don Tyson Parkway and Arkansas Highway 412, at the northeast corner of South 56^th Street and Watkins Avenue.

The land, situated catty corner from Arvest Ballpark, was donated by the families of Gary and Robin George and David and Cathy (George) Evans. The gift holds a special significance for both families, as they’ve each had children and grandchildren treated at ACH in the past for life-threatening ailments.

“I have said ‘thank you’ to those families probably 100 times, and those words almost ring hollow given the significance of the gift,” Doderer said. “It’s prime land, it’s a great location, and their generosity is really beyond the pale.”

Doderer said the donated land has not been formally appraised because the actual configuration is dependent on the initial site development. The donated parcel is actually just more than 49 acres, and ACH officials are planning for a 37-acre campus.

“We want them to have plenty of room,” Gary George said. “If it comes out after the [design] that they need a little more, it’s there. And they know that.”

Cathy Evans and Gary George are the grandchildren of C.L. George, founder of Springdale-based poultry company George’s Inc., where Gary George is presently chairman of the board.

“This is significant to me because it’s [for] kids,” he said. “There’s a lot of things in life, but kids are the most important thing that we have.”

David Evans is president and CEO of Frez-N-Stor, a quick-freeze facility in Springdale that serves Northwest Arkansas’ poultry industry.

“I have known Gary and Cathy since I was 6,” he said. “And this land has been in their family for generations. They were entrusted to be good stewards of it, and that is exactly what’s happened.”

The goal, Doderer, said is to have the hospital open for business by the beginning of 2018, depending on fundraising. ACH officials say the project represents an estimated investment of $184 million over the next five years.

“We have not started an active capital campaign yet, but we have worked internally, specifically with our board, to figure out the best way to fund this project to ensure that it moves forward at a steady pace,” Doderer said, adding that a target number for the capital campaign would be in the neighborhood of $70 million.

Doderer said representatives of three national design teams will be in Little Rock on Aug. 11 to interview for the construction job, and one of them could be selected by the end of next week.

The hospital will focus on outpatient services, but will include 24 inpatient beds, anchored by an emergency department/urgent care center, with full operative capabilities.

It will also have 30 clinic examination rooms, five operating rooms and a helipad. It will not, however, have an intensive care unit, due to the low number of children in the state who ultimately require that level of service.

“Having one centralized pediatric ICU in Little Rock still makes the most sense to ensure the highest quality,” Doderer said.

Statewide Network

The Springdale campus will be part of a larger effort to improve access to pediatric healthcare. ACH took the initial step earlier in the week when it dedicated two new medical transport helicopters, replacing two older models that had been in service since 2002.

ACH began its helicopter service 30 years ago, and transports about 1,100 patients by helicopter each year.

Announcements on additional services will be made in the coming months.

“Arkansas Children’s Hospital sees the need to create and build a statewide network of services to reach all children of Arkansas,” Doderer said. “What that means is that we intend to blanket the state with a level of services so that kids get the care they need, closer to home, when that is possible.”

As Northwest Arkansas’ population has boomed in recent years, so has the demand for pediatric care in multiple disciplines.

ACH responded in 2007 when it established a regional clinic called the Centers for Children in Lowell, a collaboration with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

Last year, more than 21,000 children were treated at the clinic, and more than 450 were transported to ACH in Little Rock via helicopters and ambulances.

With a hospital in Northwest Arkansas, where the population recently eclipsed 500,000 and it is estimated that the pediatric population is growing up to three times faster than other areas of the state, officials say 70 percent of Northwest Arkansas residents will be able to reach ACH services in 30 minutes or less.

“There is a great need for improved, expanded services for children in Northwest Arkansas,” said Fred Scarbrough, chief development officer at ACH and the president of its fundraising arm, the Arkansas Children’s Hospital Foundation. “The gift from these two families accelerates the plan for expansion of services.”