The $40 million facility on Progress Avenue, which opened April 28, dwarfs the previous one, allowing for 100 percent private patient rooms and larger operating rooms. It also has a state-of-the-art emergency department, homelike obsetrics unit and advanced medical equipment such as a 64-slice CT scanner and digital mammography equipment.

To guard against deadly storms, the two-story hospital was built with interior corridors for employees and patients to take cover if necessary. It also was designed for patients and visitors to navigate the building with ease.

The improved emergency room comes with a pledge that each patient will be seen by a clinical professional within 30 minutes of arrival.

During construction, 75 jobs were created to help build the 92,188-square-foot hospital. More than 660 yards of cardboard, metal and wood were recycled from the construction site.

SPRINGDALE IMPROVEMENTS

Northwest Health System, which has facilities in both Washington and Benton counties, is building a new emergency room at its Springdale hospital, adding clinics and constantly upgrading its medical technology.
At the Springdale hospital, a $12 million emergency room expansion was started April 2012 and is expected to open June 2013.

“This expansion has been 20 years in the making, and we are very excited that this investment will benefit the Springdale and surrounding communities,” said Dan McKay, CEO of Northwest Health System.

The new emergency room will add 10 beds, 30,000 square feet of hospital space and will allow the hosppital to treat more than 35,000 patients annually. With the addition also comes the creation of 10-20 jobs and a pledge to limit emergency wait time to 15-30 minutes.

Another addition to Northwest Medical Center-Springdale is the new Northwest Robotic Surgery Institue, which is the first facility in the area to bring robotics and robotically trained surgeons who specialize in prostate cancer, urology and gynecology.

Northwest Health also is expanding its clinical services with the opening of the Northwest Primary Care-Jones Clinic at 601 W. Maple Ave., Suite 101. Dr. Marsha Taylor is the clinic’s doctor and is board certified in family medicine.

Also, this fall, Northwest Primary Care-Southside will open on U.S. 71 in south Springdale, providing convenient access to residents of south Springdale and north Fayetteville.

A third clinic, Springdale Health, recently opened in the Jones Clinic on Maple Street. Primary care physician Dr. Carlos Suarez speaks Spanish and practices both tradtional western medicine and holistic medicine. Suarez is board certified in medical acupuncture.

WILLOW CREEK ADDITION

A new clinic also has opened at Willow Creek Women’s Hospital in Johnson.

Northwest Neonatal Graduate Care Clinic provides a year of follow-up care for neonatal intensive care unit babies and their families after they leave the hospital to help provide all resources needed in treating any developmental delays. The service will be provided to babies and families from Willow Creek’s NICU and those from Northwest Medical Center-Bentonville as well.

Willow Creek was able to recruist a maternal fetal medicine specialist last February. Dr. Bernard Canzoneri works in concert with local obstetricans to manage high-risk pregnant women in the area who previously had to travel out of the area for such treatment.

BENTON COUNTY ADVANCEMENTS

Northwest Medical Center-Bentonville recently was chosen by the Arkansas Department of Health to be one of 20 pilot hospitals that will use telemedicine technology to connect emergency room doctors to neurologists in Little Rock. These neurologists are available around the clock to diagnose strokes.

The Bentonville hopsital also opened a new catheterization lab along with a new outpatient diagnosis center.
Northwest Medical Plaza at Sugar Creek in Bella Vista is a new primary and multispecialty clinic set to open in August. Specialty care will include cardiology and podiatry. The clinic will have extended and weekend hours.
In 2011, Mercy Medical Center in Rogers finished a $5.5. million renovation that encompassed about 10,000 square feet. The project included the addition of a separate second-floor entrance, a private discharge area, a pre-procedure and post-procedure unit with 11 beds dedicated to cardiac patients, a fourth catheterization lab and a new cardiac-imaging suite.

The initial work also included the addition of the Artis — the state’s first multiaxis C-arm system. This new C-arm allows doctors to view and photograph hard-to-see arteries while lessening the invasiveness of certain procedures.

The second phase of the renovation provided a second-floor bridge connector from Mercy Physicians Plaza to the new hospital entrance, an improved discharge exit, and additional parking for cardiac patients.

Scott Street, CEO of Mercy, said the only constant in health care is change.

“We ask ourselves, ‘How do we change our process, protect our people and stay true to our calling?’ It is that intentional, analytical and prayerful response to change that makes Mercy unique among health-care providers and successful in our approach to the community’s physical, emotional and spiritual needs,” he said.
Washington County

UPGRADES

Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville recently made groundbreaking accreditation strides, opened the Willard Walker Hospice Home and added several new clinics.

The Walker Heart Institute in 2011 achieved full Heart Failure Accreditation status last year from the Society of Chest Pain Centers, becoming the only health-care facility in Arkansas to earn this certification. With its additional 2010 accreditation as a Chest Pain Center with PCI (percutaneous coronary intervention), Washington Regional became the state’s first hospital — and only the 23rd in the nation — to achieve dual accreditation.
Dr. Soliman A. Soliman, who is board-certified in cardiovascular disease and cardiac electrophysiology, and Dr. Robert C. Jaggers, a cardiovascular surgeon who is board-certified in general surgery and thoracic surgery, both joined the Washington Regional medical staff this year.

To help improve women’s health through awareness and action, Walker Heart Institute has added services to prevent, diagnose and treat women’s heart disease. Along with a complete assessment supervised by a cardiologist, patients receive one-on-one consultations with an advanced-practice nurse who specializes in cardiac care, as well as an integrated team of registered dietitians and exercise specialists.

Washington Regional Hospice recently added an inpatient hospice home. With an initial $2 million gift from the Willard and Pat Walker Charitable Foundation, the 24,500-square-foot facility was built on 4.5 acres at 325 E. Longview St. near the main hospital. It features 12 two-room patient suites that each provide an area for family members, as well as a private terrace or balcony. While more than 90 percent of Washington Regional Hospice’s care is provided in patients’ homes, the Willard Walker Hospice Home is designed for patients who need more skilled care than family or other caregivers can provide at home.

Washington Regional’s network of clinics and services also expanded recently by adding:

• Washington Regional Rheumatology Clinic
• Washington Regional Sleep Medicine
• Harrison Family Practice Clinic

For older adults, Washington Regional has implemented a geriatric resource nurse program. The GRN program is one component of the national NICHE designation (Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders).

Volunteers prepare plates at a Christmas lunch at the Samaritan Community Center in Springdale.

Northwest Arkansas churches have seen and responded to the increased need for community aid since 2008, when the ongoing recession began.
Faithful in their traditional and critical role of helping their communities endure during hard times, parishioners across the Ozarks have helped orchestrate food and clothing drives, as well as assist the needy with rent and utilities, donations of sleeping bags and tents, and even funds for gasoline and prescription medicine for the homeless and working poor.

“Volunteerism is the core of what we do,” said David Conrad, pastor of Bella Vista Christian Church. “Churches play an important role in organizing resources for the less fortunate. At the heart of religion is selflessness, community service and the act of giving.”

Charitable giving is a strong tradition among Muslims, with beneficiaries including the poor, students, travelers or those in need of emergency services. The congregation of The Islamic Center of Northwest Arkansas emphasizes a true sense of volunteerism and community.

“ICNWA provides emergency funds, helps people find work, uses existing social services available and, in times of natural disasters, makes special appeals for support,” said M. Ali Sadiqi, the center’s outreach director. “Through outreach to other faith communities, we have built important links to help us serve all those in need to our area.”

Congregation Etz Chaim is a small Jewish synagogue in Bentonville that uses donations to help those in need. For example, it was able to fund a water deposit for a battered woman moving out on her own and a rental deposit for another person.

Most aid-minded congregations in the region focus on basic needs and provide a meal at least once a week. St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Fayetteville added a commercial kitchen to accommodate community meals. Attendees are welcome to enjoy a nutritious meal and beverages without having to provide an explanation of their need.

St. Paul’s and Central United Methodist Church, also in Fayetteville, have partnered to offer hot lunches four days a week. Meals are served noon-12:30 p.m. Monday and Wednesday at the Episcopal church, and 11:30 a.m.-noon Tuesday and Thursday at the Methodist church.
“We’ve definitely seen an increase in numbers at the community meals,” said Rev. Lowell Grisham of St. Paul’s. “Moreso, there is a considerable increase in attendance at the day center due to the recession.”

The Seven Hills Day Center at 1555 Martin Luther King Blvd. in Fayetteville offers showers, laundry machines, food, coffee, clothing and case management. Computer and telephone access is available to contact job references and potential employers.

Teamwork Pays
Area churches and aid agencies often join forces to be more effective. The Cooperative Emergency Outreach is a group of 21 churches that offer emergency assistance to

The food pantry operated by Samaritan Community Center, which has locations in Springdale and Rogers, is among options for Northwest Arkansas residents in need of assistance. NWA Media File Photo/Marc F. Henning

people living south of Northwest Arkansas Mall in Fayetteville.

Fully staffed by volunteers for 20 years, the facility has a limited cash allowance per day, so financial aid is granted on a first-come, first-served basis. Local businesses have partnered with the outreach group to assist in the distribution of clothes, gasoline, prescription medicines and utilities. There is a food pantry on site that includes ready-to-eat items for the homeless.

Anabelle Steelman-Berry, publicity chairman and daily manager of CEO, said the recession has prompted a noticeable increase in need. Demand also rises during the summer months, when children are not in school.

“Although requests are restricted to three times in six months for food and gas, and once every six months for rent and utilities, the demand remains constant,” Steelman-Berry said.

The Samaritan Community Center, a nonprofit with locations in Springdale and Rogers, has seen demand for its services rise by 53 percent over the past two years. The center offers a food pantry, thrift store vouchers, case management and counseling. Meals are served 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday in Springdale, and Tuesday through Thursday in Rogers.

Through its Snackpacks for Kids program, each Friday the center distributes packages containing 8-10 healthy weekend snacks for elementary-aged children. About 3,500 of the Snackpacks go out each week to children in Benton, Carroll, Madison and Washington counties.

Feeding the Whole Person
Two years ago, a handful of Bethel Baptist Church members realized the need and created a food pantry serving Bethel Heights. Open from 9-11 a.m. every Tuesday, food is provided for up to 50 people. The basic food requirements are met, and specialty items such as meats are distributed as available. At Easter and Thanksgiving, the entire community is invited to enjoy full meals.

Hygiene items also are available at times.

In addition to the food pantry, Bethel Baptist provides an optional prayer counseling session.

“It is vital for the whole person to be addressed — not just with food to feed the hunger, but emotionally and spiritually,” Pastor Mike McEuen said.

When essential resources are limited, the natural response is stress and loss of hope, McCuen said, adding that churches can provide respite for those struggling to survive.

The Fellowship of Northwest Arkansas was founded in 2008 by a group of Northwest Arkansas families dedicated to putting faith into action. Initiatives include the Cobblestone Project, a group whose goal is “to create a community without need.”
“We work to connect the dots between needs and resources in our area,” said Katelyn Graves, operations director. “Although we are not a faith-based organization, we partner with local churches who care about our community and use their influence in a positive way to create a better world.”

The Cobblestone Project has a variety of programs. The Farm is 10 acres that is cultivated to provide fresh vegetables, along with education in gardening and substance-living. Half of the food from The Farm is donated to Potter’s House, Samaritan Community Center, Seven Hills Homeless Center, Helping Hands and Lifesource.

Another program, Laundry Love, provides access to laundromats for impoverished people.

The Our Step program provides affordable housing in hopes of breaking the cycle of homelessness and domestic violence.

Homeless Count Up
According to annual surveys by the University of Arkansas Community and Family Institute, the number of homeless people in Benton and Washington counties grew from 1,287 in 2009 to 2,001 in 2011. This year’s survey also found that the average length of time spent homeless was five months, and that 73 percent reported it was their first time to be homeless in at least three years.

South Church assists the homeless by collecting and distributing tents and sleeping bags.

“It’s hard to see the need that’s in this very rich area and not do anything about it,” said church member Ann Baker. “Once you get involved in this kind of ministry, it changes your life. The people we can help end up giving us so much more than we can offer them.

“We want to be sure that minimally, they have a place to sleep and stay warm. We feed them a meal and tell them about the Lord.”

South Church is one of many churches and community groups that works with Life Source to provide a community meal at 5:30 p.m. on Sundays at 602 S. School Ave. in Fayetteville.

Three of the four largest hospitals in Benton and Washington counties moved into new facilities in the past 10 years, and construc- tion began on another in March.

Northwest Health Systems is expanding its emergency room in Springdale, remodeling the preoperative center in Bentonville and recently opened a new breast-imaging center at Willow Creek Women’s Hospital in Johnson.

Mercy Health System in Rogers recently completed phase one of the expansion of its Mercy Heart and Vascular Center, and the second phase is under way.

Fayetteville
At Washington Regional Medical Center, a new interventional radiology suite was completed last year and a new hospice home is being built and is expected to open late this year.

Bill L. Bradley, president and CEO of the not-for-profit Fayetteville hospital, said the state of the economy is secondary to meeting patient needs when considering adding services or expanding facilities.

“For several years, we have heard members of our com- munity express their desire for Washington Regional to offer expanded end-of-life clinical services in a special, homelike facility dedicated to that cause,” he said.

“In combination with some very community-minded donors — particularly the Willard and Pat Walker Charitable Foundation, the Walmart Foundation and many others — we concluded the inpatient hospice facility was financially feasible at this time.”

Siloam Springs
Siloam Springs Memorial Hospital was managed by the city for nearly 60 years. But lacking the funds to build a much-needed new facility, the city entered a pact with Community Health Systems of Franklin, Tenn., in 2009.

The deal includes construction of a new hospital covering more than 92,000 square feet that is expected to open in 2013.

“Given the expected growth of west Benton County, Siloam Springs and the adjacent counties in Oklahoma, it was apparent to the city leaders that expanded medical facilities, new education facilities and highway expansions were needed,” said Kevin Clem- ent, hospital CEO. “The city is doing a great job preparing for the future.”

Clement said with health-care and education improvements, the community will be in a stron- ger position to attract and retain industry, create jobs and grow the tax base for additional community improvements.

Springdale/Johnson
Northwest Medical Center- Springdale is expanding its emer- gency room, also to keep pace with the area’s continually growing population. The emergency room was designed to accommodate 25,000 people a year but is currently serving about 35,000, said hospital CEO Dan McKay.
“Although we are very proud of our staff and physicians for being able to do this and maintain a high level of patient satisfaction, as well as meeting our 15 minutes to triage pledge, we really needed to build a new and larger facility,” McKay said. “Now that we have purchased the land around the hospital, we are moving forward with the expansion.”

He said the breast-imaging center at Willow Creek Women’s Hospital in Johnson was “desper- ately needed,” and as soon as the clinic was opened, it was booked with mammography appoint- ments.

Rogers
Mercy Medical Center of Northwest Arkansas, which opened in its new Interstate 540 location in 2008, is also meeting its growing community’s needs by consolidating services and reno- vating buildings.

“By consolidating all the heart and vascular services, we are trying to take something that is ininherently stressful and make it an improved experience for the patients and their families,” said CEO Scott Street.

Phase one of the renovation, which encompassed about 10,000 square feet, included the addition of a separate sec- ond-floor entrance, a private discharge area, a pre-procedure and post-procedure unit with 11 beds dedicated to cardiac patients, a fourth catheteriza- tion lab, a new cardiac-imaging suite and the addition of the Artis — the state’s first multiaxis C-arm system. This new C-arm allows doctors to see and photograph hard-to-see arteries and lessens the invasiveness of certain procedures.

When complete, phase two will provide a second-floor bridge connector from Mercy Physicians Plaza to the new hospital entrance, a more convenient discharge exit, and additional parking for cardiac patients.