Northwest Arkansas has changed a lot in 75 years, and so has Washington Regional. From our beginnings as a small, county hospital to the region’s leading health system, we’ve grown with our community to bring you nationally recognized, world class care with five Centers of Excellence offering the highest level of care in the region. And as our region continues to grow, we’ll keep innovating and growing to care for you when and where you need us with over 40 clinic locations throughout Northwest and North Central Arkansas.

Our mission has always been to improve the health of people in the communities we serve. In recent years, we’ve worked to fulfil that mission by:

• Being as the area’s only Level II Trauma Center, providing the region’s highest level of trauma care
• Earning accreditation as the region’s only Comprehensive Stroke Center
• Being the only hospital in Northwest Arkansas to earn The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for Advanced Certification in Spine Surgery
• Achieving The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for Hip and Knee Replacement
• Being named by U.S. News & World Report as the state’s only High Performing Hospital for Maternity Care for three consecutive years
• Being named the #1 Hospital in Arkansas for the fourth consecutive year by U.S. News & World Report, earning a High Performing designation in 14 areas of care – more than any other hospital in the state.

As we celebrate 75 years of caring for Northwest Arkansas, we invite you to look back at major milestones in our history and join us as we look toward the next 75 years.

1940s - 1960s

1947

• Washington County Judge Witt Carter appoints a county hospital commission to study the possibility of building a second hospital in Fayetteville to relieve overcrowding at Fayetteville City Hospital.

1948

• Architect Paul Young Jr. completes designs for the new hospital.

1950

• On August 28, the 50-bed Washington County Hospital opens for business at 20 W. North St. in Fayetteville.

1953

• The polio ward is created, and the first polio patient is admitted August 14, 1953.
• Washington County Hospital’s first auxiliary is formed.

1959

• A new two-story wing to the east and a 2nd floor addition to the existing hospital are complete, doubling the hospital’s capacity.

1961

• The board votes to change name of Washington County Hospital to Washington General Hospital.

1962

• Washington General Hospital increases its number of licensed beds from 50 to 115.

1966

• Fourth and fifth floors are added to the east wing, increasing the hospital’s bed capacity to 172.

1970s - 1990s

1973

• Washington General Hospital changes its name to Washington Regional Medical Center to reflect growth of the hospital.

1975

• Washington Regional Medical Center expands to a 240-bed facility.

1978

• The East Tower opens on July 16, including a heart catheterization laboratory, new emergency department, dietary department, pediatrics unit, X-ray department, parking deck, and a bridge connecting the old and new buildings.

1982

• Expansion of the East Tower is complete with the opening of the sixth floor, which includes 44 beds for obstetric and gynecologic patients.

1983

• A new neurological floor and intensive care step-down unit open, adding 22 beds.

1987

• The Washington Regional Center for Exercise opens a facility at the corner of Township and Gregg Streets.
• The Washington Regional Center for Sleep Disorders opens and is one of only 100 in the U.S. at the time.

1988

• Washington Regional Medical Foundation is established.
• Washington Regional purchases 26 acres of land at North Hills Medical Park for future development.

1990

• Washington Regional and Fayetteville City Hospital announce an agreement to share operating room space at City Hospital to help ease the volume of surgeries being performed at Washington Regional's main facility.

1993

• Washington Regional begins performing open-heart surgery.

1994

• Washington Regional establishes an interventional cardiology program.

1995

• The Washington Regional Cancer Support Home opens, offering free health education, support groups, resources, overnight lodging and financial assistance for those on a cancer journey.
  

1999

• Washington Regional breaks ground for a new facility at North Hills Medical Park.

2000s

2001

• The Walker Family gives $3 million to establish the first cardiovascular center of excellence in Northwest Arkansas. The donation provides significant funding for the new Walker Family Heart and Vascular Institute, a comprehensive cardiovascular program which will be located on Washington Regional’s new campus.

2002

• The new Washington Regional Medical Center opens on August 27, spanning 340,641 square feet.
• Washington Regional receives a $1 million donation from Johnelle Hunt to form a comprehensive women’s health care center. The 50,000 square foot Johnelle Hunt Women’s Center includes 12 labor and delivery rooms and five triage rooms.

2003

• An ambulatory care unit (ACU) and cardiac rehabilitation space open. The ACU features 15 new rooms for patients undergoing same-day heart procedures. The new cardiac rehabilitation area, located within Walker Family Heart and Vascular Institute, features a walking track and private interview and conference rooms.

2004

• Washington Regional opens the Center for Health Services, spanning 30,200 square feet. The new building is home to Washington Regional’s laboratory and cardiovascular clinic space with additional space for future use. The opening celebration includes a dedication ceremony for the Words for Healing fountain honoring the Walker Family’s dedication to fighting heart and vascular disease.

2006

• Washington Regional announces a $4 million gift from the Walker Family Foundation to establish the Pat Walker Center for Seniors.

2007

• The medical center expands with a new chapel, emergency department, kitchen, pharmacy and fifth floor, adding a total of 81,793 square feet and bringing the hospital’s total footprint to 422,434 square feet.
• The 67,000 square foot Center for Support Services opens, housing many of Washington Regional’s support teams, including human resources, education, accounting, administration, marketing, information services, purchasing, and facilities.

2008

• The Pat Walker Center for Seniors opens. The 38,000 square foot facility includes the Washington Regional Senior Health Clinic, Washington Regional Memory Disorders Clinic, Washington Regional Movement Disorders Clinic, Jones Auditorium and the relocated and expanded Center for Exercise.

2009

• Walker Family Heart & Vascular Institute is renamed the Walker Heart Institute as part of an effort to make it easier for patients and their families to navigate the facility and make the name easier to remember.
• The Springdale Center for Health opens with 31,934 square feet of medical office space, including a HerHealth Clinic location, imaging and laboratory services.

2010s

2010

• Washington Regional introduces a state-of-the-art imaging suite for interventional radiology procedures.
• Washington Regional becomes the first hospital in Arkansas to receive full accreditation from the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care as a Chest Pain Center with Primary PCI and Resuscitation. The accreditation recognized the hospital’s work quickly treat patients during the critical early stages of a heart attack.

2011

• Washington Regional opens the Total Joint Center, a comprehensive institute for patients undergoing joint replacement surgery providing specialized education and a team of surgeons and staff focused exclusively on their recovery and rehabilitation.
• The Willard Walker Hospice Home opens with 24,500 square feet of space including 12 family suites, each with access to a terrace or patio.

2012

• Washington Regional achieves designation as a Level II Trauma Center from the Arkansas Department of Health.

2013

• Washington Regional achieves The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for hip and knee replacement.

2014

• The Northwest Arkansas Neuroscience Institute is created, providing the region’s most comprehensive care for disorders of the brain, spine, and nervous system with experts in stroke, neurosurgery, spine care, and interventional pain management.
• Washington Regional establishes a Stroke Program to improve outcomes for patients with stroke and welcomes vascular neurologist Margaret Tremwel, MD, PhD.
• The Mobile Dental Clinic opens with grant support from the Walmart Foundation, Blue & You Foundation for a Healthier Arkansas and Delta Dental of Arkansas Foundation. The clinic operates through 2019.

2015

• Washington Regional becomes the first hospital in Northwest Arkansas to earn Primary Stroke Center designation by The Joint Commission.
• Joel Carver, MD, an interventional cardiologist at Washington Regional’s Walker Heart Institute, becomes the first cardiologist in Northwest Arkansas to implant miniaturized, wireless monitoring sensors to manage heart failure.
• Boris Bogomilov, MD, and John Weiss, MD, of Washington Regional’s Walker Heart Institute, are the first in Northwest Arkansas to implant a subcutaneous implantable defibrillator, or S-ICD, that protects against sudden cardiac arrest.

2016

• The Washington Regional Women and Infants Center opens. The 133,355 square foot tower includes 28 private mother-baby rooms, 17 labor & delivery rooms, a 34-bed Level III-A NICU providing the highest level of care available in Northwest Arkansas, an infant nutrition lab, dedicated OR space, and two of the region’s leading women’s health clinics. The addition brings the hospital’s total footprint to 558,805 square feet.
• The Walmart Foundation donates $500,000 to the Women and Infants Center to support and enhance services for area families. This gift helps support the mother-baby unit and the NICU.
• The first Ronald McDonald House in Northwest Arkansas opens in the Women and Infants Center, including 6 bedrooms with private bathrooms, a laundry room, a fully stocked kitchen and dining room with space for up to 40 people, a living room and playroom.
• A ribbon cutting ceremony is held for the opening of the medical services building at 3561 Johnson Mill Blvd., which houses two health care clinics and a physical therapy center in more than 15,800 square feet of space.
• Walker Heart Institute physicians complete its first Impella heart pump procedure at Washington Regional  to treat patients with severe heart failure or cardiogenic shock.

2017

• The William L. Bradley Medical Plaza opens, including a four-story main building and separate one-story building, set on 5.22 acres. The facility encompasses 76,000 square feet and houses an expanded Urgent Care Clinic as well as a comprehensive imaging center with MRI, CT scan, ultrasound and X-ray.
• Washington Regional launches a four-year core renewal project, designed to accommodate the current needs of the health system and facilitate growth.

2018

• Washington Regional opens a 20-bed Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit, the only one in Northwest Arkansas.
• Pace of the Ozarks opens, adding 17,185 square feet of space to the existing Springdale Center for Health building, now totaling 49,119 square feet.
• The Central Billing Office opens with 30,058 square feet, housing Washington Regional’s revenue cycle teams and population health offices.
• Washington Regional completes expansion of the medical centers as part of the core renewal project, adding 28,500 square feet and renovating another 39,400 square feet. The expansion includes the Neurosurgical ICU, additional heart catheterization lab space, a new electrophysiology procedure room, additional echocardiogram and cardiology diagnostic space, an 18-bed cardiology nursing unit and a significant laboratory expansion.
• Washington Regional’s Stroke Program begins offering state-of-the-art, emergency interventional neuroradiology procedures and comprehensive care that greatly improve the chances of recovery for patients with stroke.
• Washington Regional becomes the first hospital in Arkansas to be designated as an Antimicrobial Stewardship Center of Excellence by the Infectious Diseases Society of America and is one of only 38 hospitals in the United States to hold the designation at the time.
• Walker Heart Institute physicians perform Washington Regional’s first transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedure for patients with severe aortic narrowing.
• Washington Regional receives the 2018 Governor’s Award for Performance Excellence with Governor Asa Hutchinson presenting the honor to Washington Regional President and CEO Larry Shackelford during the 24th Annual Awards Celebration for the Governor’s Quality Award Program in Little Rock.

2019

• U.S. News & World Report names Washington Regional the top hospital in the Ozarks Region.
• Washington Regional Women and Infants Center partners with Oklahoma Mothers’ Milk Bank to become the first milk depot in Northwest Arkansas.
• Washington Regional Medical Center is the first hospital in Northwest Arkansas to achieve certification as a Comprehensive Stroke Center.
• Washington Regional Medical Foundation launches a campaign for a new Cancer Support Home.
• Washington Regional Medical Center donates the Mobile Dental Clinic to Boston Mountain Rural Health Center.

2020 - Present

2020

• U.S. News & World Report names Washington Regional the top hospital in the Ozarks Region for the second year in a row.
• Washington Regional opens a new 16-bed Cardiac Progressive Unit, bringing the total number of cardiology beds to 76.
• Washington Reginal receives a $2.5 million gift from J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. to enhance and expand neurological care and cancer support services. As a result, the Northwest Arkansas Neuroscience Institute is renamed the Washington Regional J.B. Hunt Transport Services Neuroscience Institute, and the Washington Regional Cancer Support Home is named the Washington Regional J.B. Hunt Transport Services Cancer Support Home.
• The hospital opens a 5,250 square foot state-of-the-art laboratory, with services including chemistry, hematology/coagulation, microbiology, serology, urinalysis, transfusion medicine, and anatomic pathology.
• Washington Regional implements its COVID-19 Response Plan by:
  • Establishing Northwest Arkansas’ first COVID-19 hotline and screening clinic.
  • Launching telehealth visits in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Receiving and distributing the first shipment of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, 975 doses, on December 15.

2021

• The new J.B. Hunt Transport Services Cancer Support Home opens at 488 E. Longview St. The new location offers overnight lodging, a wig and prosthesis boutique, breast health navigation, cancer help fund, support groups, early detection cancer screenings, and diagnostic testing.
• U.S. News and World Report names Washington Regional the #1 Hospital in Arkansas. Washington Regional earns a High Performing designation in 7 areas of care.
• Washington Regional announces the purchase of 15 acres at the adjoining Drake Farms property for future expansion.
• Washington Regional and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) announce a joint Graduate Medical Education Program to create up to 92 new residency slots in Northwest Arkansas by 2030.
• Washington Regional becomes the first hospital in Arkansas to offer Zimmer Biomet’s ROSA® Knee System, state-of-the-art robotic technology that helps surgeons personalize surgical procedures for their patients.
• Walker Heart Institute physicians complete Washington Regional’s first transcarotid artery revascularization (TCAR) procedure to treat carotid artery disease in patients at high risk of stroke.

2022

• U.S. News and World Report names Washington Regional Medical Center the #1 Hospital in Arkansas for the second consecutive year. Washington Regional earns a High Performing designation in 9 areas of care.
• Washington Regional and UAMS receive accreditation for the new UAMS/Washington Regional Internal Medicine Residency Program.
• Washington Regional achieves designation from U.S. News & World Report as a High Performing hospital for Maternity Care.
• Washington Regional becomes the first hospital in the state to offer total knee replacement using the Persona IQ Smart Knee implant equipped with sensor-based technology to help improve outcomes.

2023

• U.S. News and World Report names Washington Regional Medical Center the #1 Hospital in Arkansas for the third consecutive year. Washington Regional earns a High Performing designation in 12 areas of care.
• Construction is completed on the 6,000 square foot Graduate Medical Education Suite featuring classroom and office space, team workrooms, and lounge space.
• The first class of eight residents in the UAMS/Washington Regional Internal Medicine Residency Program arrive in July.
• Washington Regional is the only hospital in Arkansas to receive designation from U.S. News & World Report as a High Performing hospital for Maternity Care.
• Washington Regional’s emergency department becomes the first in Arkansas to earn the Emergency Nurse Association Lantern Award, and one of only 53 that year worldwide to receive the distinction, which recognizes emergency departments that exemplify exceptional and innovative leadership, practice, education, advocacy and research.
• Washington Regional is the first hospital in Northwest Arkansas to offer Zimmer Biomet’s ROSA® Hip System, a state-of-the-art robotic technology that helps surgeons customize the placement of hip implants for their patients.
• Walker Heart Institute physicians complete the hospital’s first MitraClip procedure – a minimally invasive treatment option for people with mitral regurgitation.
• Washington Regional is the first hospital in Northwest Arkansas to offer left bundle branch area pacing (LBBAP), a new technique used to improve heart function in some patients with heart failure.

2024

• Washington Regional becomes the only hospital in Northwest Arkansas to earn The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for Advanced Certification in Spine Surgery.
• U.S. News & World Report names Washington Regional the #1 Hospital in Arkansas for the fourth consecutive year with a High Performing designation in 14 areas of care.
• Washington Regional is the only hospital in Arkansas to be designated by U.S. News & World Report as a High Performing hospital for Maternity Care.
• Construction begins on the Washington Regional Simulation Center, a 6,650 square foot space to create an immersive educational experience, bridging classroom learning and clinical experience.

2025

• Washington Regional is the first and only hospital in Northwest Arkansas to provide pulsed field ablation, a new approach to cardiac ablation, for patients with AFib. Yang Yang, MD, with Washington Regional Electrophysiology Clinic, performs the first procedure in the region.
• Washington Regional’s emergency department achieves the American College of Emergency Physicians Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation (GEDA). The designation recognizes emergency departments with policies and procedures in place to meet the needs of older patients and improve outcomes.
• Washington Regional receives $4.5 million from the state to expand the UAMS/Washington Regional Graduate Medical Education Program by creating an additional 26 medical residency slots.