It’s been seven years in the making, but the effort to bring specialty health care to Northwest Arkansas is one step closer to reality. Alice Walton was front and center Thursday (Sept. 17) to break ground on the $700 million Alice L. Walton School of Medicine Whole Health Campus in Bentonville.
“I am a bit overwhelmed … and we have a few years ahead of us,” said Walton, the daughter of Walmart founders Helen and Sam Walton. “This is a big day and a game changer for healthcare in Northwest Arkansas, the state of Arkansas and in the Heartland region. I dream big, but I’ve always believed that meaningful change is worth spending a life on.”
She described a cancer center that will be built within 1.1 million square feet of facilities on the 120-acre campus. The campus will include a hospital with 250 beds and 40 operating rooms. The health care campus will be set in a park with trees, trails, lakes and a contemplation grounds where the community is part of the campus, Walton said…