New Hospital a Summer Highlight (EDITORS NOTE)

With all due respect to Whataburger, the most exciting news of the summer in Northwest Arkansas hasn’t been its new location in Fayetteville.

Nor is it the news that Sulphur Springs (pop. 526) has turned up recently at the website Parenting.com on a state-by-state list of fun and cheap, mini-family-vacation destinations. That is a prime example of the ripple effect of the Bentonville Miracle. Or, just a lazy editor at Parenting.com.

No, the most exciting news of the summer, or the year for that matter, is that Arkansas Children’s Hospital intends to invest $184 million to build a 225,000-SF pediatric hospital near Arvest Ballpark in Springdale. (See Page 31).

The Little Rock-based health care organization unveiled its plans in Rogers on Aug. 7.

News like this can’t be overstated — the announcement marks a critical turning point in the state’s health care industry.

With a second ACH campus in our corner of the state, which could be open as early as the first quarter of 2018, the landscape of pediatric patient care is changed.

It will be a long and winding path from now until then, but the project is off to a smooth start thanks to the vision and the commitment of Springdale’s Gary George and David Evans families, who donated 49 acres near Interstate 49 for the development.

ACH officials didn’t have an appraisal of the land’s worth, but a estimate of $4.00 to $4.50 per SF would set the value between $8.5 and $9.5 million.

Free land is always good, but only if it’s in the right place. Given the current and planned activity in that area, and the proximity to I-49 and Highway 412, that amount sure seems like a reasonable value.

For a rare occasion, this is a health care announcement that favors the patient. ACH is expanding its world-class services to make quality pediatric health care a reality for millions of kids.

And that will provide a greater peace of mind for Northwest Arkansas families for generations to come