Arkansas Children’s Hospital Receives FACT Internationally Recognized Accreditation for Cancer & Blood Disorders

Little Rock, AR (March 23, 2022) – The Cancer and Blood Disorders program at Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH) has received internationally-recognized accreditation by the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT), designating the program as offering the highest quality patient care.

By demonstrating compliance with the FACT’s international standards, Arkansas Children’s Hospital has earned three-year accreditation for pediatric autologous hematopoietic progenitor cellular therapy and peripheral blood cellular therapy product collection.

“Achieving FACT accreditation means Arkansas Children’s Hospital is providing the best care possible for children in Arkansas who are facing cancer and blood disorders,” said Rick Barr, MD, MBA, chief clinical officer of Arkansas Children’s. “These families face a long journey through cancer, and we are improving that experience by ensuring they can receive the highest quality care through accredited bone marrow transplants closer to home. We are grateful for the hard work of every member of our Cancer and Blood Disorders team to reach this vital accreditation.”
FACT is an internationally-recognized accrediting body for hospitals and medical institutions offering stem cell transplant, and indicates Arkansas Children’s Hospital has met the most rigorous standards in every aspect of stem cell therapy. This covers the entire spectrum of stem cell therapy, from clinical care to donor management, cell collection, processing, storage, transportation, administration and cell release.

FACT-JACIE Standards are defined by leading experts based on the latest knowledge of the field of cellular therapy transplantation. Arkansas Children’s Hospital has been found to be in compliance with these rigorous standards as well as governmental regulations.

Accreditation is attained through evaluation of submitted documentation and on-site inspection to determine if an organization is in compliance with current FACT standards and the United States Food and Drug Administration’s current rules for Good Tissue Practice. FACT Standards are defined by leading experts based on the latest knowledge of the field of cellular therapy.

ABOUT ARKANSAS CHILDREN’S

Arkansas Children's, Inc. is the only healthcare system in the state solely dedicated to caring for Arkansas' more than 700,000 children. 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 — all focused on fulfilling a promise to define and deliver unprecedented child health. 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 (ACS); the state’s only magnetoencephalography (MEG) system for neurosurgical planning and cutting-edge research; and the state's only nationally recognized pediatric transport program.  Additionally, ACH is nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report in four pediatric subspecialties (2021—2022): Cardiology & Heart Surgery, Nephrology, Pulmonology and Urology. Arkansas Children’s Northwest (ACNW), the first and only pediatric hospital in the Northwest Arkansas region, is a level IV pediatric trauma center. 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 deliver on its promise of unprecedented child health. To learn more, visit archildrens.org.

ABOUT FACT

In December 1994, the International Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT) and the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (ASBMT) merged their Standards into a single document covering all aspects of hematopoietic cell therapy (collection, processing, and transplantation). The two societies established FACT in order to develop a voluntary Inspection and Accreditation Program based on the joint Standards. FACT promotes quality medical and laboratory practice of cellular therapy through its peer-developed standards and voluntary inspection and accreditation program.

In 2006, FACT, in collaboration with the Joint Accreditation Committee–ISCT & EBMT (JACIE), developed international standards in the field of cellular therapy. JACIE was founded by the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) and the International Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT), the two leading scientific organizations involved with cellular transplantation in Europe.
Since 2007, FACT accreditation has been used in determining the U.S. News & World Report rankings of transplant centers for the "America's Best Hospitals" and "America's Best Children's Hospitals" list.

The FACT Inspection and Accreditation Program was developed by Dr. Phyllis Warkentin, Chief Medical Officer of FACT, the FACT Board of Directors, as well as the ISCT and ASBMT Regulatory and Standards Committees. The first edition of the FACT Standards was published in September 1996, and the first inspections began in September of 1997 resulting in the first program being awarded accreditation in 1998.