HOSPITAL NEWSMAKERS Arkansas Colleges of Health Education (ACHE) in Fort Smith has received an anonymous $32.3 million gift to fund health and wellness initiatives. The gift will support renovations of the ACHE Research Institute Health & Wellness Center in Fort Smith, which will house instructional and communal gathering areas for students and the community. Included in the renovation are art labs and an art gallery, an occupational and physical therapy device lab, nutrition education and cooking venues, and a theater. The initial phase of the project is expected to be completed in December 2022. Mercy Hospital Fort Smith has announced a $162 million expansion of its emergency room and intensive care unit that should allow about 25,000 more patient visits per year. Groundbreaking for the ER/ICU is set for early 2022, with construction expected to last just over two years. The project will expand the ER from 29 to 50 rooms and increase ICU capacity from 38 to 64. The expanded Emergency Department will include special considerations for infectious disease and behavioral health patients. An additional 140 parking spaces will be added to accommodate the expansion, with parking closer to the new ER entrance.
orthopedic surgery, and other conditions. Featuring all private rooms, the rehabilitation section of the hospital will provide intense, interdisciplinary rehabilitation therapies and medical care to improve patients’ functional independence and help them return home. The facility’s distinct behavioral unit will offer a continuum of inpatient and outpatient behavioral health services for adults and seniors, including crisis stabilization for acute mental health and substance use disorders; detoxification from alcohol and drugs; and treatment for anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and many other behavioral health illnesses. St. Bernards Behavioral Health (SBBH) has launched a new 24/7 call center aimed at providing informational resources for behavioral and mental health-related services and questions, filling a need in the region for an alwaysaccessible information hub. The call center will be staffed by licensed health professionals in confidential settings and will guide callers to available behavioral health resources. St. Bernards intends the call center to operate as a supplemental service, alongside crisis services and hotlines. The SBBH 24/7 call center is available immediately to assist with behavioral health questions at (870) 207-0440. The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) has received $18.9 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support new research and interventions that will focus on reducing cancer and cardiovascular disease disparities among people who live in rural areas and in African American populations across Arkansas. The five-year award from the NIH National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) will support the establishment of the Center for Research, Health and Social Justice – one of only 11 Multiple Chronic Disease (MCD) Centers funded in the United States.
Mercy Hospital Fort Smith plans a $162 million expansion of its Emergency Department that includes expansion of its ER from 29 to 50 rooms and increases ICU capacity from 38 to 64 in a concept that is designed to provide better workflow and flexibility. (Courtesy Mercy Fort Smith)
Jefferson Regional has announced plans to build and operate a 40-bed freestanding inpatient rehabilitation hospital that will also include an additional 36 behavioral health beds. The new facility, which is anticipated to open in 2023, is a joint venture with Kindred Healthcare, LLC, a partner that has managed the rehab unit at Jefferson Regional for the past 28 years. The hospital will provide inpatient rehabilitation services for adults who have experienced a loss of function or disability due to stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury, neurological disorders, 8 WINTER 2021 | ARKANSAS HOSPITALS
Members of the research team leading the UAMS grant to address health disparities. (Photo: UAMS/Evan Lewis)
