Northwest Health vital to Northwest Arkansas
4/25/2024
Over the course of 2023, Northwest Health played a vital role helping people get well and live healthier at more than 565,000 patient encounters across its hospital and growing network of Northwest Physicians clinics and other outpatient sites of care.
At more than 86,000 emergency department visits each year, lifesaving medically necessary care is provided for all patients regardless of their ability to pay. Members of the community who cannot fully afford their medical care are provided deep discounts or even charity care and the hospital has resources to help them secure medications and medical support devices. Last year, Northwest Health provided more than $181 million in charity and uncompensated care for the community’s most vulnerable.
“At Northwest Health, our mission is to help people get well and live healthier,” said Rick Naegler, market chief executive officer at Northwest Health. “And throughout our system of hospitals, clinics and emergency departments, we lead from a point of mission that everything we do is bigger than us. We understand what a vital role healthcare holds in the communities we serve and our skilled team is here for you to provide experienced and compassionate care 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”
Other support for social determinants of health in the community includes financial donations for charitable organizations such as the American Heart Association, the Jackson L. Graves Foundation, March of Dimes and Susan G. Komen, and acts of service such as the Jars of Love drive collecting peanut and other nut butters for area food banks and schools.
Northwest Health applies its resources to medical services, facilities and technologies that patients want to access close to home. The hospital system recently added to its cardiology services by recruiting a new interventional cardiologist in 2023, expanding its service area to Siloam Springs and offering the convergent ablation procedure for those suffering from longstanding persistent atrial fibrillation (Afib) in Springdale.
Northwest Health also brought new surgical and diagnostic equipment to the area including minimally invasive lung biopsy technology, 3D mammography equipment with upright biopsy capability and a new MRI in Bentonville which provides expanded exam services including abdominal, bariatric, breast and vascular.
The women’s services departments in Bentonville, Johnson and Siloam Springs also implemented a postpartum bracelet program to ensure mothers who recently delivered at a Northwest facility receive a bracelet which conveys to emergency personnel that a person had a baby within a year enabling medical teams to consider postpartum complications along with traditional complications for better diagnosis.
Civic resources and services are supported by Northwest Health’s tax payments of more than $14 million and the payroll of more than $187 million ripples across the local economy as employees buy goods and services.
Workforce development remains a priority along with strong relationships with local nursing programs. Northwest Health provides an RN residency program to ensure new graduate nurses transition to independent practice with competence, confidence and commitment. Investments are being made to help team members achieve their personal and professional goals through assistance with student loan repayments, as well as tuition reimbursement.
“The impact we’ve made in Northwest Arkansas adds up to more than $425 million last year,” Naegler said. “Looking ahead to 2024, we’re committed to making Northwest Arkansas a healthier community for all and continuing our mission of providing quality health care through compassionate care, bringing new providers to the area and adding new services.”
To help the community live healthier, Northwest Health offers a free e-newsletter with a monthly dose of health and wellness inspiration sent directly to your inbox. Sign up at https://www.northwesthealth.com/enewsletter-sign-up.
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