Mercy Health System to open new Springdale clinic this week

Mercy Health System will hold its grand opening ceremony for the new $47 million multi-specialty clinic in north Springdale at Elm Springs Road and Interstate 49 on Tuesday (Sept. 17). The clinic will officially open for business on Wednesday, the following day.

It is the largest of the clinics added over the past two years as part of Mercy’s expansion plan intended to provide more primary care access in Benton and Washington counties. Mercy said it nearly doubled the size of the new clinic after a two-year study indicated a greater need than originally anticipated.

The 63,000 square-foot clinic will have more than 60 exam rooms for primary care and special care as well as a full-24-hour emergency department equipped with a helipad. Specialty care will be available in cardiology, pulmonology, urology, ears, nose throat, sports and bariatrics, rheumatology and endocrinology.

Dr. Larry Schemel of Springdale is relocating his primary care practice to the new clinic. He will be joined by roughly two dozen other healthcare providers and some 20-to-30 support staff. Mercy said the clinic would offer a blended staff of local providers and others recruited to work there. Aside from primary care and pediatric primary care, the clinic will provide diagnostic testing on-site.

The clinic was constructed on a 31-acre tract and is considered phase I of this program. There is ample room for expansion for an inpatient tower and outpatient surgical center if demand dictates, according to Kerry Harper, executive director of support services for Sisters of Mercy Health System. Mercy paid $13 million for the 31-acre site.

Eric Pianalto, president of Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas, is a Springdale native who said “this is a great feeling to see Mercy investing back into the community where I was raised.”

Pianalto said he has worked in 25 different markets during his career, but said this feels extra special because he knows personally so many that will receive care in this new facility.

“When we began looking at the Springdale needs, we had earmarked a smaller 12,000 square foot clinic but when we got down to the core, it became evident that a much larger clinic would be needed so we blew out the footprint to 60,000 square feet,” Pianalto said at an earlier event.

For an inside look at the new facility watch the short video below.