Joined by students from nearby schools and community leaders, Arkansas Children's broke ground on its Southwest Little Rock Community Clinic. When the facility opens in the spring of 2017, it will greatly expand access to primary care for thousands of children who live nearby, many of them from Spanish-speaking families.
The Arkansas Children's Southwest Little Rock Community Clinic is an integral component in the statewide network of care Arkansas Children's is creating to serve the 710,000 children living in the state. A bilingual staff will care for the thousands of children expected to attend the clinic for everything from well-child visits to treatment for acute illnesses.
Arkansas Children's saw the need for the Southwest Little Rock Community Clinic over the last few years, as the Hispanic population continued to grow and traveled to attend clinics on the hospital campus in the city's center or its clinics on Highway 10.
"We put children first in everything we do,” said Arkansas Children’s President & Chief Executive Officer Marcy Doderer, FACHE. “This clinic will truly offer families care close to home, just around the corner from where they live, play and go to school.”
In addition to bilingual staff, families will benefit from access to 15 exam rooms, an X-ray suite, a laboratory and space for the WIC program.
The clinic has been in planning stages since 2014, as Arkansas Children's sought input from stakeholders, including families, educators, neighborhood leaders and the faith community.
“It was important to us to get this right for families in this area of the city,” said Eddie Ochoa, MD, Arkansas Children’s medical director of Community Pediatrics, and section chief of Community Pediatrics at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), where he is an assistant professor in the College of Medicine. “Many families and children from Southwest Little Rock, especially Latino families, come to our primary clinics that are not located where they live. We’re investing in a facility located in their community to meet their needs locally. The staff at this facility will provide care for thousands of children.”
A patient advisory board provided detailed insight and helped shape the care that will be delivered through the new Arkansas Children’s Southwest Little Rock Community Clinic.
“Nobody knows the needs of children better than their parents,” said Rosa Acosta-Montante, a member of the advisory committee. “We are very happy about the opening of the clinic in Southwest Little Rock to better serve the community that resides in this part of the city and offer care from Arkansas’ pediatric experts.”
Acosta-Montante’s three children, 5-year-old Matthew, 14-year-old Samantha, and 16-year-old Jonathan, are among the thousands who will benefit from the clinic’s location and dedicated resources.
Arkansas Children's had observed the need for a facility in Southwest Little Rock as volume in its primary care clinics that concentrate services to Spanish speakers increased. The 2010 U.S. census showed that more than 32,000 people lived in the same 72209 zip code as the planned clinic, and 18 percent of them indicated they were Hispanic. The Hispanic population in neighboring zip codes was less than 10 percent.
Located at 9015 Dailey Drive, the 11,050-square-foot clinic will sit just behind the Pulaski Southwest Health Unit, next door to the Southwest Little Rock Community Center, and is adjacent to a U.S. Post office and the newly expanded CALS' Dee Brown Library.
"We couldn't ask for better neighbors," said Arkansas Children's Vice President of Primary Care Ann Kruger. "By joining them, we'll help fill a void in the area. Imagine finishing up at the doctor with your child and then being able to walk over to the park or check out books afterward. That's truly wellness."
Nestled on two acres off Baseline Road, the clinic property will preserve nearby trees and sit beside an existing walking trail. The City of Little Rock is leasing the site to Arkansas Children's for 99 years, following rezoning of the land earlier this summer.
“Kids learn better and our families have a greater quality of life when children have true access to health care,” said Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola. “This is why the City is proud to partner with Arkansas Children’s to locate this clinic in our diverse Southwest Little Rock community and continue to advance our shared vision of improving the health and well-being of all Little Rock residents.”
Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects designed the facility, and Nabholz Construction is the general contractor for Arkansas Children's Southwest Little Rock Community Clinic.