Walmart Foundation gives $5 million to Mercy Foundation to improve access, services

The Walmart Foundation is gifting $5 million to Mercy Health Foundation Northwest Arkansas to help the Mercy hospital system in the area “expand upon its growth plans, improving the reach of quality health care within the region,” according to Mercy.

Money from the gift will support construction of a new interventional radiology suite, which will feature modern medical equipment, including a robot-controlled system that uses imaging techniques to show blood flow and guide minimally invasive treatments for various conditions.

According to Mercy, the new interventional radiology suite allows Mercy NWA to provide advanced treatments for which patients were previously forced to travel outside the region. According to the Northwest Arkansas Council’s 2019 Health Care Report, the region loses approximately $950 million annually when patients leave the area for medical services and specialty care.

“The Walmart Foundation’s generous gift to Mercy Health Foundation NWA is a significant step toward Mercy’s goal to enhance health care in Northwest Arkansas,” Ryan Gehrig, president of Mercy Arkansas, said in a statement. “With this support, Mercy can offer new procedures and treatments that were previously out of reach. Eliminating the necessity for our patients to travel far away from their loved ones in times of need is central to our expansion, and we’re grateful to Walmart Foundation for its support to make health care better in our community.”

Mercy also said the new facility and equipment will help “attract top-tier physicians and offer new services for those in the region.” Officials with St. Louis-based Mercy also said the Walmart Foundation gift will support expansion plans that will be announced in the near future.

“We share a vision with Mercy Northwest Arkansas to help people live better lives. We are excited that this funding will help provide quality care by investing in medical professionals, specialty services and state-of-the art technology.” said Kathleen McLaughlin, president, Walmart Foundation and executive vice president and chief sustainability officer at Walmart. “Investing in Mercy’s growth is an investment in the wellbeing for our families and neighbors in the growing Northwest Arkansas region.”

The rest of the Walmart Foundation’s gift will go to other Mercy NWA expansion plan projects, to be announced in the near future, all of which will help meet the growing health care needs of the booming population in Northwest Arkansas.

Mercy is one of the 20 largest U.S. health systems and includes more than 50 acute care and specialty hospitals, convenient and urgent care locations, imaging centers and pharmacies. Mercy has more than 900 physician practice locations and outpatient facilities, more than 4,500 physicians and advanced practitioners and 50,000 employees in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma.