Walmart donates $5M to help hospital in its home state open interventional radiology suite
The Walmart Foundation has donated $5 million to help a hospital in its home state open a new interventional radiology suite.
Mercy Northwest Arkansas touted the gift in a July 31 announcement. Its new center in the community of Rogers is slated to include a robot-controlled system that uses imaging techniques to show blood flow and guide minimally invasive procedures.
Prior to adding the IR facility, Mercy Northwest Arkansas said it believes potential patients were traveling outside the region to obtain IR services. The Northwest Arkansas Council estimated that the community loses about $950 million annually when patients seek specialty care elsewhere.
“The new interventional radiology suite will significantly enhance our ability to deliver advanced care right here in Northwest Arkansas," Jared Garrett, MD, an interventional radiologist at Mercy NWA, said in a statement. "Our team is excited about the new technology, which will help us to better serve our patients with less invasive procedures and improved outcomes."
The rest of the Walmart Foundation donation will go to other Mercy expansion efforts set to be announced soon. The retail giant is headquartered in the nearby community of Bentonville, Arkansas.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.