(Fayetteville) January 4 – The Whitaker Family Foundation has made a $1 million gift to Arkansas Children’s Northwest. The facility will provide right-sized pediatric inpatient, outpatient and emergency services to more than 200,000 children in the Northwest Arkansas region.  

Tyson Family Tower in Arkansas Children's Northwest“The Whitaker Family Foundation has been blessed with opportunities to invest in our community,” says Christian Gunn-Schinker, executive director of the Whitaker Family Foundation. 

“Pauline Whitaker, the matriarch of the family foundation, established the foundation’s focus on children’s healthcare and education and is proud to support Arkansas Children’s Northwest and the vital services the new hospital will provide to families in the region.”  

The Whitaker Family Foundation is dedicated to raising public awareness and creating funding to support medical and scientific research into the causes of and cures for children diagnosed with chronic or serious medical conditions. The foundation funds medical research and clinical research trials in the areas of children’s health, wellness and disease prevention. The Whitaker Family Foundation also endeavors to build a legacy for the future by supporting and promoting improved and meaningful social, economic and emotional engagement and education for today’s youth. 

“The Whitaker Family Foundation is a dedicated champion for children,” says Fred Scarborough, chief development officer for Arkansas Children’s and president of Arkansas Children’s Northwest. “This investment in Arkansas Children’s Northwest will support children for generations to come. We are grateful to the Whitaker family for joining our caring community as we work to fundamentally transform children’s health in our state.”  

This gift brings the total raised during Care Close To Home: The Campaign for Arkansas Children’s Northwest to $68 million.  

The Arkansas Children’s Northwest campus is centrally located on I-49 between Don Tyson Parkway, across from Arvest Ballpark. When it opens in early 2018, the facility will be the first and only children’s hospital in the region. 

About Arkansas Children’s

Arkansas Children’s, Inc. is the only health care 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 336-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 of the 25 largest children’s hospitals in the United States and is nationally ranked by U.S. News World & Report in cardiology/heart surgery, neurology/neurosurgery, nephrology and pulmonology. Arkansas Children’s Northwest in Springdale includes 233,613 square feet of inpatient beds, emergency care, clinic rooms and diagnostic services. Arkansas Children’s also blankets the state with outreach programs that include telemedicine, mobile health and school-based health solutions. 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.

###