Four years after breaking ground, Arkansas Children’s Hospital recently opened the 258,000-square foot South Wing. The patient facility includes an entirely new emergency department, updated intensive care units for cardiovascular and neonatal patients and five new outpatient clinics.
From the Pine Bluff area, the Jefferson County Circle of Friends chapter has a space named in the South Wing in recognition of their generosity.
The South Wing adds 54 inpatient beds, allowing ACH to accommodate 370 overnight patients. Planning for the $121 million facility began in 2005, and Nabholz, Inc. started construction in 2008.
“We have looked forward to this day for more than half a decade,” said ACH President and CEO Jonathan Bates, MD. “As we mark our 100th year of service to the children of Arkansas, we begin the next century with the South Wing as an outstanding resource for their care.”
The facility, designed by Cromwell Architects, is being paid for with a combination of cash reserves, philanthropic donations and bonds issued in 2009.