Arkansas Children’s Northwest Unveils Major Hospital Expansion to Enhance the Heartland’s Pediatric Care

SPRINGDALE, AR. (Oct. 7, 2026) — Arkansas Children’s Northwest (ACNW) today celebrated the grand opening of its expanded Walker Campus, significantly increasing local access to specialized pediatric health care for children and families across the region.

The expansion introduces several major enhancements to the campus designed to address the needs of Northwest Arkansas’ rapidly growing population. Key additions include expanded physical and occupational therapy services, a new infusion center and centralized laboratory and increased capacity across pediatric specialty and surgical services.

These additions, which bring ACNW to 40 inpatient beds, allow the hospital in Springdale to treat children with increasingly complex medical needs closer to home, reducing the burden on local families who previously had to travel out of the region for care.

“When ACNW first opened its doors, it represented a promise to this community: that children in Northwest Arkansas deserved access to exceptional pediatric care closer to home,” said Rustin Morse, MD, MMM, ACNW senior vice president & chief administrator. “This expansion gives us more room to care for children, expanding services and giving our teams new opportunities to care for children with increasingly complex needs right here in Northwest Arkansas.”

The expansion directly addresses the healthcare demands of one of the fastest-growing regions in the state. By adding capacity, clinical space and modern tools, the project delivers critical health benefits to the region, including:

Increased Access to Specialty Care: Expanded capacity for specialized clinical care and pediatric surgical services.

Enhanced Rehabilitation Resources: Dedicated, enlarged spaces for pediatric physical and occupational therapy to support long-term development and recovery.

Streamlined Diagnostics: A centralized laboratory designed to deliver faster diagnostic results and improve overall clinical workflow.

Localized Complex Care: Advanced resources enabling local medical teams to manage complex pediatric cases that formerly required travel to Little Rock or out-of-state facilities.

The celebration highlighted how the expanded services change families’ lives, featuring former patient ambassador Evan Lee. In 2016, at age 8, Evan helped lay the final beam of the original ACNW building and returned as an adult to celebrate the hospital’s next chapter.

“At Arkansas Children's, we're continually asking ourselves what it will take to create a healthier future for every child — whether that means discovering new treatments, creating new models of care, or simply making sure a family can find expertise closer to home,” said Marcy Doderer, FACHE, president and CEO of Arkansas Children’s. “This expansion gives our team more tools and more opportunities to do what they do best.”

Arkansas Children’s developed the expansion in collaboration with construction and architecture partners Nabholz, Cromwell Architects Engineers, Polk Stanley Wilcox Northstar and SSR Engineering, all while the hospital remained fully operational.

For more information about services and specialty care offered at Arkansas Children’s Northwest, visit archildrens.org/expansion.

ABOUT ARKANSAS CHILDREN’S

Arkansas Children's is the only health system in the state solely dedicated to caring for Arkansas' 850,000 children. The private, non-profit organization includes the Arkansas Children’s Golisano Campus in Little Rock, home to Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH), and the Arkansas Children’s Walker Campus in Springdale, home to Arkansas Children’s Northwest (ACNW). The two pediatric hospitals host 376 licensed beds, supported by 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, discover and deliver unprecedented child health. ACH is a Magnet-recognized facility 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); and the state's only nationally recognized pediatric transport program. Arkansas Children’s is nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report in nine pediatric subspecialties (2025-2026): Cancer, Cardiology & Heart Surgery, Diabetes & Endocrinology, Nephrology, Neurology & Neurosurgery, Neonatology, Orthopedics, Pulmonology & Lung Surgery and Urology. ACNW, the first and only pediatric hospital in the northwest Arkansas region, is a Level IV pediatric trauma center. ACNW operates newly expanded inpatient and surgical units; outpatient clinics offering over 20 subspecialties; diagnostic services; imaging capabilities; occupational therapy services; and northwest Arkansas' only pediatric emergency department. 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.

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