(Green Forest, AR) January 24, 2017 – Anstaff Bank, a locally owned and operated bank in Green Forest, is making a $250,000 commitment to support the construction of Arkansas Children’s Northwest.

“Anstaff Bank is thrilled to partner with Arkansas Children’s to transform health for the kids in our communities,” said Steve Stafford, Anstaff Bank’s Chairman and CEO. “Anstaff Bank has worked with individuals and businesses in Northwest Arkansas for 85 years to ensure their success and, today, we are proud to help bring a local children’s hospital to the region.”

When it opens in January 2018, Arkansas Children’s Northwest will be the region’s first and only comprehensive pediatric healthcare center and will include:

  • 24 inpatient beds to care for children requiring overnight stays
  • 24-hour pediatric Emergency Department
  • Pediatric surgery unit with 5 operating rooms
  • An outpatient clinic with 30 exam rooms supporting more than 20 subspecialty areas and a general pediatric clinic
  • A full range of ancillary and diagnostic services, child-life and pastoral care
  • Outdoor gardens, nature trails, and interactive features designed for children
  • A helipad and refueling station supporting Angel One, one of the nation’s leading pediatric intensive care transport services with more than 2,000 transports annually.

“We deeply appreciate Anstaff Bank’s commitment to championing children in Northwest Arkansas,” said Fred Scarborough, chief development officer for Arkansas Children’s. “Generous support from corporate leaders like Anstaff Bank will allow more than 200,000 children to receive care close to home and give them the promise of a healthier tomorrow.” 

In August 2016, Arkansas Children’s announced a public campaign to raise funds for Arkansas Children’s Northwest. To date, the campaign has celebrated publically $57,250,000 million in pledges. Arkansas Children’s has announced the following gifts as part of the Care Close to Home campaign:

  • Tyson Family and Tyson Foods, Inc.,  $15 million
  • Walmart and Walmart Foundation, $8 million
  • Robin and Gary George, Cathy and David Evans and their families, $7.5 million
  • J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc., $5 million
  • Will Golf for Kids and Color of Hope, $5 million
  • Walton Family Foundation, $3 million
  • Endeavor Foundation, $2 million
  • Fadil Bayyari Family, $1 million
  • Cynthia and Kirk Dupps, $1 million
  • Robin and Gary George, $1 million
  • The estate of Mildred and Jarrell Gray, $1 million
  • Karen and Darren Horton, $1 million
  • J.B. and Johnelle Hunt Family,  $1 million
  • Premier Concepts, Inc., $1 million
  • Schmieding Foundation, $1 million
  • Central States Manufacturing, $250,000
  • Bikes, Blues and BBQ, $200,000
  • Black Hills Energy, $100,000

Arkansas Children’s Northwest is being built on 37 acres of land donated by Robin and Gary George, Cathy and David Evans and their families -- a gift valued at $7.5 million. The campus is centrally located on I-49 between Don Tyson Parkway and Highway 412, across from Arvest Ballpark. The project is expected to cost $427.7 million in construction, technology, equipment, and operating expenses over the next five years, and will create 250 new jobs.

Arkansas Children’s Northwest is being designed by Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects of Fayetteville and Little Rock, Ark., and FKP Architects of Houston, Texas. Nabholz Construction is overseeing construction. The campus is an integral part of Arkansas Children’s Hospital’s plan to transform the health of children in Arkansas by expanding access to pediatric services across the region.

About Arkansas Children’s

Arkansas Children’s, Inc. is the only hospital system in the state solely dedicated to caring for children, which allows the organization to uniquely shape the landscape of pediatric care in Arkansas. The system includes a 359-bed hospital in Little Rock with the state’s only pediatric Level 1 Trauma Center, burn center, Level 4 neonatal intensive care and pediatric intensive care, and research institute as well as a nationally-recognized transport service. It is one the 25 largest children’s hospitals in the United States and is nationally ranked by U.S. News World & Report in pulmonology and neonatal care. A sister campus is under development in Northwest Arkansas and will bring 233,613 square feet of inpatient beds, emergency care, clinic rooms and diagnostic services to children in that corner of the state. A private nonprofit, Arkansas Children’s boasts an internationally renowned reputation for medical breakthroughs and intensive treatments, unique surgical procedures and forward-thinking research and is committed to providing every child with access to the best care available, regardless of location or resources. Founded as an orphanage, Arkansas Children’s has championed children by making them better today and healthier tomorrow for more than 100 years. For more info, visit www.archildrens.org.

###