Simmons Bank has donated $1 million to support the construction of the Arkansas Children’s Pine Bluff Clinic. Arkansas Children’s, in association with Jefferson Regional, will establish a new pediatric clinic on the campus of Jefferson Regional in Pine Bluff.
“Simmons Bank has a rich history of supporting the communities we call home, especially our hometown community of Pine Bluff,” said George A. Makris Jr., chairman and CEO of Simmons Bank. “We are proud to invest in the new Arkansas Children’s Pine Bluff Clinic on the Jefferson Regional campus and provide a vital healthcare resource for families in the region.”
To celebrate this leadership gift, the clinic lobby will be named in honor of Simmons Bank.
“In these unprecedented times with the COVID-19 health crisis, we are incredibly grateful for the support of Simmons Bank,” said Marcy Doderer, FACHE, president and CEO of Arkansas Children’s. “We continue to care for sick and vulnerable children because we know that delayed care could result in lifelong health complications. Our children need us now more than ever.”
According to data by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, 52 percent of children in Arkansas do not receive coordinated, ongoing, comprehensive care within a medical home. The new pediatric clinic will provide care close to home for families in southeast Arkansas, including preventative care, developmental screenings, community resources and health education.
“Simmons Bank established their roots in Pine Bluff more than 100 years ago,” said Fred Scarborough, president of Arkansas Children’s Foundation. “Arkansas Children’s is grateful for this investment in the promise of providing unprecedented healthcare to children in Pine Bluff and the southern region of our state.”
Initial plans estimate that the Arkansas Children’s Pine Bluff Clinic will be an approximately 10,000 square-foot facility with 14 exam rooms, team collaboration space and a welcoming lobby with kid-savvy spaces. The clinic physicians will also provide frontline care to newborns receiving care in the NICU who are delivered at Jefferson Regional. The new clinic requires a $17.5 million investment to fund construction and operating expenses over the first five years.
“Jefferson Regional provides vital health care to the southeast region of Arkansas,” said Brian Thomas, president and CEO of Jefferson Regional. “Providing a new pediatric clinic in association with Arkansas Children’s will ensure we have long-term stability to continue providing the children of this region great healthcare. Jefferson Regional is grateful for the continued support from Simmons Bank.
