FEATURE

Text and photos courtesy of Washington Regional

Washington Regional: 75 Years of Caring for Northwest Arkansas

Washington Regional is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. The health system has been a vital part of Northwest Arkansas since it first opened in 1950 as Washington County Hospital at the corner of North Street and College Avenue in Fayetteville. Since then, it has grown to become the area’s health care leader.

Today, Washington Regional is the largest health care system in the region with a 425-bed medical center, the region’s only Level II Trauma Center and more than 40 clinic locations throughout Northwest and North Central Arkansas. Washington Regional provides the area’s highest level of care for many specialties including stroke, spine, trauma, maternity and cardiovascular care, and it is home to five Centers of Excellence:

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Neuroscience Institute – providing comprehensive care for the brain, spine and nervous system with experts in stroke, neurology, neurosurgery, interventional neuroradiology, conservative spine care and interventional pain management

Pat Walker Center for Seniors – offering primary care dedicated exclusively to older adults and specialty clinics for movement and memory disorders

Total Joint Center – focused exclusively on the education, recovery and rehabilitation of patients undergoing joint replacement surgery

Walker Heart Institute – offering Northwest Arkansas’ largest team of cardiovascular professionals and specialists in non-invasive cardiology, interventional cardiology, electrophysiology, and cardiovascular and thoracic surgery

Women and Infants Center – designed to meet the needs of growing families with a comprehensive range of services all under one roof

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Providers with Washington Regional’s Spine Program offer a multidisciplinary approach for disorders and injuries of the spine; Washington Regional is the only hospital in Northwest Arkansas to earn The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for Advanced Certification in Spine Surgery

Regional Trauma Center

Washington Regional’s Level II Trauma Center provides the region’s highest level of trauma care for critically injured patients and is prepared 24/7 with immediate coverage by general surgery, orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, anesthesiology, emergency medicine, radiology and critical care specialists.

In 2024, the Washington Regional Trauma Center cared for more than 3,000 patients. Washington Regional first earned designation as a Level II Trauma Center in 1981 and is now working to achieve designation as a Level I Trauma Center, the highest designation available, to better serve the growing Northwest Arkansas community.

Nationally Recognized Maternity Care

Washington Regional is proud to offer nationally recognized care here in Northwest Arkansas. Washington Regional is the only hospital in Arkansas to be named a U.S. News & World Report High Performing Hospital for Maternity Care for 2025. This is the highest award a hospital can earn as part of U.S. News’ Best Hospitals for Maternity Care annual study, and the third consecutive year Washington Regional has earned the high performing rating. This designation is especially significant as Arkansas has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the nation.

Washington Regional is dedicated to improving outcomes for mothers and babies before, during, and after pregnancy through specialized care, timely interventions, and support including:

Access to specialty care for management of chronic or preexisting conditions
OB Hospitalist program providing care for obstetric emergencies and laboring patients
Two leading women’s health clinics and a Maternal Fetal Medicine Clinic for mothers with high-risk pregnancies
The region’s largest neonatal intensive care unit providing the area’s highest level of care
Northwest Arkansas’ first human milk depot that distributes breast milk from approved donors to NICUs across the region, including Washington Regional
Dedicated infant milk lab to support infant nutrition
The only Ronald McDonald House in Northwest Arkansas, providing overnight lodging and other services to families of hospitalized children
Postpartum depression screenings
Patient education including childbirth preparation, childcare and infant safety classes

Washington Regional’s Walker Heart Institute provides comprehensive care for the heart and vascular system with three specialty clinics, a 76-bed cardiology unit, dedicated cardiopulmonary rehabilitation program and the latest technology and procedures

Washington Regional’s Women and Infants Center offers services designed to meet the needs of growing families, including the region’s largest NICU providing the highest level of care available in Northwest Arkansas

Arkansas’ #1 Hospital

For the fourth consecutive year, Washington Regional Medical Center was named the #1 Hospital in Arkansas by U.S. News & World Report, earning a high performing designation in 14 areas of care including many of the most serious health conditions that affect Arkansans. Washington Regional is designated as high performing for:

Abdominal aortic aneurysm repair
Back surgery (spinal fusion)
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Colon cancer surgery
Heart attack
Heart failure
Hip fracture
Hip replacement
Kidney failure
Knee replacement
Leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma
Lung cancer surgery
Pneumonia
Stroke

U.S. News evaluated nearly 5,000 hospitals nationwide; only 11% of evaluated hospitals earned a Best Hospitals ranking. This recognition underscores Washington Regional’s commitment to providing top-tier medical care and its role as the region’s health care leader.