The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences on Monday heralded the opening of an $85 million surgical facility dedicated to treating orthopedic and spine patients.
A crowd of more than 100 medical staff, state officials and other visitors gathered outside of The Orthopaedic and Spine Hospital for a ribbon cutting ceremony a little more than two years after the university broke ground on the center.
"Today marks a new era in orthopedic and spine care here at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences," said Dr. Cam Patterson, UAMS chancellor. "[The facility] provides easy access for our patients ... and it will be staffed by orthopedic spine and pain medicine specialists who are recognized as among the very best in the world."
The four-story hospital includes more than 158,000 square feet dedicated to orthopedic surgery, spine care and pain management and will begin accepting patients in June.
According to a news release from the university, the hospital includes:
24 private rooms for overnight observation and inpatient stays
12 operating rooms.
12 examination rooms for orthopedic trauma, orthopedic oncology, and physical medicine and rehabilitation.
Eight exam rooms and two procedure suites for use by a pain management team.
Educational space for orthopedic surgery residents.
Offices for faculty and administrators.
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the hospital would draw skilled physicians and staff to Arkansas.
"When my mom was only 20 years old here in Arkansas, she was diagnosed with spine cancer," Sanders said during Monday's ceremony. "She had amazing doctors and specialists that supported her throughout her entire treatment process, the kind of doctors and specialists that we know that this new facility will help recruit to Little Rock and to our state."
Sanders said staff members at the facility are expected to perform 6,000 surgeries during the hospital's first year in operation.
Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr. said the hospital would contribute to the city's continued growth.
"When you have this type of facility, which will continue to make us an international leader in health care, it's a game-changer and it contributes to our rebirth as a city," Scott said.
The project was funded through a bond issue approved by the University of Arkansas board of trustees. The center is located southwest of UAMS's main hospital near Interstate 630.