Coming soon : Donations set stage for UAMS Northwest
Posted on Thursday, November 20, 2008
ROGERS — Renovation work continues to transform the former Washington Regional Medical Center, located at 1125 N. College Ave. in Fayetteville, into a 250, 000-squarefoot northwest Arkansas branch of University of Arkansas For Medical Sciences. But until Wednesday, a significant hurdle still stood in the way of the Little Rock-based institution’s projected Fayetteville opening in fall 2009.
That hurdle was $ 1. 5 million — the amount UAMS was short in its $ 3 million fundraising campaign.
Then, Don Tyson and the Tyson Family Foundation, The Willard and Pat Walker Charitable Foundation, and Johnelle Hunt decided to step forward. At a press conference held as part of a National Philanthropy Day luncheon at the Embassy Suites in Rogers on Wednesday, it was announced these three prominent families each contributed $ 500, 000 to the effort, bringing UAMS to its goal.
“ This is an extremely exciting day for UAMS and northwest Arkansas, ” said Peter O. Kohler, M. D., vice chancellor of UAMS Northwest. “ This puts us over that critical $ 3 million threshold we’ve been trying to reach. We’re extremely grateful for the faith of these three families in our project. ”
The funds are earmarked for continued renovations and work to prepare the former Washington Regional Medical Center to house a second UAMS campus. The Little Rock-based organization has been eyeing such a location in northwest Arkansas for the past three years. The campus, scheduled to open in fall 2009 is intended to address growing health care workforce shortages by allowing UAMS to increase enrollment. The campus will include students in the UAMS colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy and Health Related Professions.
“ This is going to expand our medical school by approximately 20 percent, ” said Kohler, who recently spent 16 years as president of the University of Oregon Medical School, which made the transition from a small county hospital to an internationally recognized medical organization. “ This is something that will benefit the entire state and the region. Today feels like an early Thanksgiving. ”
UAMS’ clearing of its first hurdle in the process of creating a campus in northwest Arkansas represents the latest in a string of significant medical-related milestones in Benton and Washington counties in 2008. The new Mercy Medical Center opened along the Interstate 540 corridor earlier this year, Washington Regional Medical Center continues to adapt to its new facility, ground will soon be broken on a state-of-the-art Benton County Cancer Center in Rogers before the end of the year and Siloam Springs is preparing to break ground on a new hospital of its own.
“ We’ve got 300, 000 people (in northwest Arkansas ) now, ” said Don Tyson. “ Everything grew up so fast, I think we got a little behind in the medical area. It’s been exciting seeing everything that’s happened but UAMS’ plans are another piece to the puzzle. The three of us called each other and started talking. We knew we wanted to help make it happen. This is my home. This is our home. We wanted to give back. ”
Johnelle Hunt, the widow of J. B. Hunt, agreed.
“ Every day, I look around and I’m amazed how this region has grown up, ” Hunt said, “ but this is one thing we truly need now. This area needs more doctors. Doctors came to me and said we need this. If we have a medical school here, the students will come, and many of them will stay here. This donation isn’t about getting our name on a building. It’s about contributing to something we truly need. ”
The satellite UAMS campus will provide facilities for students, resident physicians, faculty and patients. It will have 250 to 300 students when full enrollment is reached.
UAMS is the state’s only comprehensive academic health center, with five colleges, a graduate school, a medical center, six centers of excellence and a statewide network of regional centers. UAMS currently has 2, 652 students and 733 medical residents and is one of the state’s largest public employers, with 10, 000 employees, including 1, 150 physicians providing care at UAMS, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, VA Medical Center and UAMS’ Area Health Education Centers.
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