(Springdale) August 2, 2019 – September is Pediatric Cancer Awareness month and Arkansas Children’s is asking the community to GO GOLD early in support of pediatric cancer awareness and treatment. The Will Golf 4 Kids tournament and Color of Hope Gala committees have committed to raising $5 million to expand services for children with cancer and blood disorders at Arkansas Children’s Northwest (ACNW).

Over the next five years, the funds raised will support the addition of a pediatric oncologist, nurses and support services staff for the ACNW Hematology/Oncology program, creating as many as six new positions.

The investment will also expand ACNW’s central monitoring systems to the inpatient unit to serve children with cancer and blood disorders and enhance care for higher acuity patients. Additionally, ACNW’s pharmacology services will also grow through the investment, allowing the hospital to prepare more complex treatments and keep children close to home for their cancer care.

“Arkansas Children’s Northwest was built with the generosity from the community and designed to grow and expand to provide what children in Northwest Arkansas need,” said Fred Scarborough, CFRE, chief development officer for Arkansas Children’s and president of the Arkansas Children’s Foundation. “As the population in Northwest Arkansas increases, Arkansas Children’s Northwest, with the support and investment from the region, will be able to deliver more care close to home.”

Community partners and philanthropy fuel Arkansas Children’s ability to expand more rapidly to meet the Northwest Arkansas pediatric needs.

According to the National Cancer Institute, cancer remains the leading cause of disease-related death among children. Arkansas Children’s treats 90% of pediatric cancer cases in the state with approximately 100 new pediatric cancer diagnoses each year.

The National Cancer Institute estimates that this year 11,060 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in children between birth and age 14, and 1,190 are expected to die from the disease, further highlighting the importance of increased awareness and investment in pediatric cancer treatment.

While tremendous advancements have been made in addressing childhood cancer, with death rates for this age group declining 65 percent from 1970 to 2016, cancer continues to be the leading cause of death from disease among children.

GOLD is the color worn in solidarity by those committed to spotlighting the need for increased awareness and advances in treatment to eradicate one of the leading causes of death by disease in our children.

You too can GO GOLD and support pediatric cancer awareness and treatment by making a donation to www.archildrens.org/giving.

About Arkansas Children’s

Arkansas Children's, Inc. is the only healthcare system in the state solely dedicated to caring for Arkansas' 710,000 children, giving the organization a unique ability to shape the landscape of pediatric care in Arkansas and transform the health of children throughout the region. The private, non-profit organization includes two pediatric hospitals, a pediatric research institute and USDA nutrition center, a philanthropic foundation, a nursery alliance, statewide clinics, and many education and outreach programs.

Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH) is a 336-bed, Magnet-recognized facility in Little Rock operating the state’s only Level I pediatric trauma center; the state's only burn center; the state's only Level IV neonatal intensive care unit; the state's only pediatric intensive care unit; the state’s only pediatric surgery program with Level 1 verification from the American College of Surgeons; and the state's only nationally recognized pediatric transport program. Additionally, ACH is nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report in five pediatric subspecialties (2019-2020): Cardiology & Heart Surgery, Nephrology, Neurology & Neurosurgery, Orthopedics and Pulmonology. Arkansas Children’s Northwest (ACNW), the first and only pediatric hospital in the Northwest Arkansas region, opened in Springdale in early 2018. ACNW operates a 24-bed inpatient unit; a surgical unit with five operating rooms; outpatient clinics offering over 20 subspecialties; diagnostic services; imaging capabilities; occupational therapy services; and Northwest Arkansas' only pediatric emergency department, equipped with 30 exam rooms. Generous philanthropic and volunteer engagement has sustained Arkansas Children's since it began as an orphanage in 1912, and today ensures the system can fundamentally transform the health of children in Arkansas and beyond. To learn more, visit archildrens.org.

About Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals

Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals® raises funds and awareness for 170 member hospitals that provide 32 million treatments each year to kids across the U.S. and Canada. Donations stay local to fund critical treatments and healthcare services, pediatric medical equipment and charitable care. Since 1983, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals has raised more than $5 billion, most of it $1 at a time through the charity’s Miracle Balloon icon. Its various fundraising partners and programs support the nonprofit’s mission to save and improve the lives of as many children as possible. Find out why children’s hospitals need community support, identify your member hospital and learn how you can Put Your Money Where the Miracles Are, at http://www.CMNHospitals.org and http://www.facebook.com/CMNHospitals

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