Longtime Springdale contractor and developer Fadil Bayyari and his children – Sara Boelkins, Sophia Bayyari, and Joseph Bayyari – have committed $1 million to support the construction of Arkansas Children’s Northwest.
“I’ve heard many families share their personal Arkansas Children’s stories and I am endlessly inspired,” said Fadil Bayyari. “As a devoted member of this community, I know that supporting Arkansas Children’s Northwest is simply the right thing to do for our kids. I’m proud of the ways the Northwest Arkansas community takes care of each other and I know this hospital is one important way we will give our kids the promise of good health.”
To honor the Bayyari family’s gift and celebrate their dedication to doing what it best for the community, the family respite area at Arkansas Children’s Northwest will carry the Bayyari name. The respite area will be a comfortable space in which families can rest and regroup during inpatient stays at the hospital. Located on the fourth level of the hospital, the center will be in a private and quiet area for families to gather, converse, and reflect while their child receives care.
“Mr. Bayyari is an exemplary leader within the Northwest Arkansas community and a champion for children. We are fortunate to call him a longtime partner in this work,” said Fred Scarborough, president of Arkansas Children’s Foundation and chief development officer for Arkansas Children’s. “This extraordinary gift will help establish a pediatric health and wellness destination that will fundamentally transform health for children in 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.
Arkansas Children’s Northwest is being built on 37 acres of land, a gift valued at $7.5 million, donated by Robin and Gary George, Cathy and David Evans and their families. 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.