The Schmieding Foundation, Inc. has donated $1 million to the campaign to construct and outfit Arkansas Children’s Northwest in Springdale. The gift will name the occupational and physical therapy gym located at Arkansas Children’s Northwest.
“Lawrence Schmieding loved to help children in need,” explained Gilda Underwood, President of the Schmieding Foundation. “He would be so pleased to continue the spirit of giving that he started with children in our community.”
During his lifetime, Mr. Schmieding was a strong advocate for children. His philanthropic support of Arkansas Children's helped improve children’s health across the state. The Schmieding Foundation, Inc. helped establish the Schmieding Developmental Center and Schmieding Kid’s First in Northwest Arkansas in 1994. In 2015, the Schmieding Foundation also established the Lawrence H. Schmieding Endowed Chair in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology providing funds for education, advocacy and research to the program at Arkansas Children’s Hospital.
“Mr. Schmieding was a champion for the children of Arkansas,” said Fred Scarborough, president of Arkansas Children’s Foundation and chief development officer for Arkansas Children’s. “Thanks to the vision of the Schmieding Foundation, this gift will provide support for countless children that are served in the occupational and physical therapy gym. It is a fitting tribute to the compassion that Mr. Schmieding had for all children.”
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, 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.