NWA editorial: For the children

A magnificent health care addition to the region

The generosity to support construction of Arkansas Children's Hospital Northwest has been nothing short of astonishing.

The Springdale-based hospital's opening for outpatient care today portends an era of healing for the region's young to which that description will, in all likelihood, also apply.

What’s the point?

As the doors open at Arkansas Children’s Northwest, a new era of pediatric health care begins for the region.

How can such a statement be made with confidence? Although the structure along Interstate 49 between the Don Tyson Parkway and U.S. 412 is new and dazzling, residents and businesses across the state already know Arkansas Children's Hospital like a member of the family. Born in 1912 as an orphanage, by 1954 it had transitioned into a center focused on pediatric medical care. In the decades since, it has grown into one of the most highly respected children's hospitals in the nation through a high level of expertise, investment in technology and a devotion to its home state's young. It may have been based in Little Rock, but people know what it means to Arkansas from border to border.

By August 2015, when the hospital announced plans for a 233,000-square-foot facility on 37 acres in Springdale, nobody had to waste time learning about its mission or its reputation. Arkansas Children's Hospital has served the entire state with a standard of excellence befitting the children who rely on its care.

And as much as the hospital had unquestioned expertise to export its care for children, opening a second campus would not be possible without an outpouring of generosity. To build the Springdale hospital, contributors large and small have pitched in $80 million in the last couple of years. The fact more than 8,000 Arkansans have provided donations demonstrates the wide range of donors, and every dollar makes a difference.

Naturally, the opportunity to expand Arkansas Children's Hospital into the growing northwest corner drew interest from those familiar names who have been so good to the region that's been so good to them: Tyson, Walker, Walton, Walmart, Hunt, George. Other major gifts came from other families or organizations who, although perhaps lesser known by name, have helped deliver a new level of health care to Northwest Arkansas: Horton, Bayyari, Dupps, Biggs, Jech, Dyer, Anstaff, Central States, Schmieding, Premier Concepts, Endeavor. The list goes on and will continue to grow.

All contributors deserve heartfelt thanks, which we'll be presumptuous enough to offer in advance for the many children and teens whose lives will be improved by this northwest campus in the coming decades. Many do not yet know it -- many of them aren't even born yet -- but their challenges just became less daunting because of the generosity and expertise that's coming together to make Arkansas Children's Northwest a reality.

Today begins the outpatient care. Within weeks, hospital officials say, round-the-clock emergency services and longer stays in the facility's 24 in-patient beds will begin. Pediatric surgeries will be possible in the facility's five operating rooms, and scores of other services will, in many cases, prevent children and families from having to make the long trip to Little Rock for care.

And let's not forget the significance of this moment for the city of Springdale. The hospital will operate in a part of town the city has been investing in for years and is now starting to see it pay off. Hospital officials anticipate the initial five-year period of the hospital's long life will bring nearly $428 million in construction and operational investments, creating welcome economic ripples. The hospital will employ around 250 people. Other developments in the area, which includes Arvest Ballpark and the future site of Northwest Arkansas Community College's Washington County campus, are just the beginning of the areas's economic growth and higher visibility as a gem for Springdale.

Welcome, Arkansas Children's Northwest. It is our fervent wish that not a single child would have a need for this great facility's services, but we know better. And we are grateful it will be there when needed.

Commentary on 01/09/2018

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