Northwest Health building a combined emergency department and urgent care in west Bentonville

Springdale-based Northwest Health is building a 24/7 freestanding emergency room and urgent care on Arkansas Highway 102 near the Bentonville/Centerton border. Construction is underway at the northwest corner of the Tater Black Road intersection and the facility should be open by year’s end.

The 11,000-square-foot facility will operate as a department of Northwest Medical Center-Bentonville.

“Our primary goal is to provide the residents and visitors of West Bentonville and Centerton area with faster access to emergency and urgent care services,” said Patrick Kerrwood, CEO for Northwest Medical Center-Bentonville. “We have been serving more than just Bentonville and Benton County for many years, and this is yet another example of our commitment to meet the needs of any community by expanding health care services.”

A New York-based private investment management firm focused on medical real estate paid $770,576 for the Highway 102 land (1.28 acres) late last year. Seavest Healthcare Properties bought the land, backed by a three-year, $5.82 million loan arranged through John Morris with Simmons Bank in Fayetteville.

Seavest is still the developer and plans to lease the building to Northwest Health.

The building will have 12 private exam rooms with on-site labs, X-ray, ultrasound and CT. Northwest Health is currently recruiting for nursing staff, paramedics and imaging technicians at this facility.

“This approach makes care more affordable by avoiding the higher cost of the emergency room if patients only require urgent care services,” added Kerrwood.

With a combined active medical staff of more than 540 physicians, 2,200 employees and 487 beds, Northwest Health is one of the largest health networks in Northwest Arkansas, with five hospitals and more than 30 clinics.