The UAMS Orthopaedic and Spine Hospital is a 158,000-square-foot surgical facility on the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences campus in Little Rock, while its sister facility in Northwest Arkansas has now reached a major construction milestone. UAMS held a topping-out ceremony in May 2026 for the 85,000-square-foot UAMS Health Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine Hospital on a 30-acre site in Springdale.
UAMS Orthopaedic and Spine Hospital Model Extends to Springdale
Designed by Marlon Blackwell Architects with Nabholz Construction serving as general contractor, the Springdale hospital is scheduled to open in spring 2027 and will feature operating rooms, inpatient beds and sports performance facilities. It follows a wider Arkansas trend also reflected by the $700 million Whole Health Campus in Bentonville, where academic and philanthropic health organizations are putting capital into purpose-built specialty facilities outside the state’s established hospital centres.
Project Overview
- Project Name: UAMS Orthopaedic and Spine Hospital
- Location: Little Rock, Arkansas, on the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences campus
- Client or Owner: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS)
- Project Value: $85 million bond issue
- Key Components: 158,000 square feet with 24 private inpatient rooms, 12 operating rooms, 12 exam rooms and 8 pain management exam rooms
- Status: Opened June 2023; sister facility in Springdale topped out in May 2026
- Expected Completion, Springdale Expansion: Spring 2027
- Strategic Impact: Brings orthopedic, spine and pain care together under one roof in Little Rock while extending the model to patients in Northwest Arkansas
Project Team
- Owner: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
- General Contractor: Nabholz Construction
- Architect, Little Rock Hospital: Cromwell Architects Engineers
- Architect, Springdale Expansion: Marlon Blackwell Architects
- Healthcare Design Consultant, Springdale: Davis Stokes Collaborative Architects
- Donor, Springdale: Willard and Pat Walker Charitable Foundation
Reported 11th May 2023: A UAMS Orthopaedic and Spine Hospital that broke ground previously in 2021 has finally been opened in Little Rock, Arkansas. Recently, The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) hosted an event to celebrate the new 158,000-square-foot hospital.
The UAMS Board of Trustees approved an $85 bond issue to finance the Orthopaedic and Spine Hospital project in 2021. According to the board’s members, the new surgical hospital isn’t a replacement for off-campus orthopedic clinics in Little Rock. But instead, the hospital would serve in complementing them.
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At the ceremony, UAMS Health’s CEO Cam Patterson, said the new hospital would provide world-class care and easy access for patients. He said their organization was pleased to provide comprehensive specialized care under a single roof for patients across the state.
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders also graced the occasion and she commended the UAMS for bringing the facility to Little Rock. Sanders pointed out that the Orthopaedic & Spine Hospital would put Little Rock right at the helm of medical research. Therefore, she said it also attracts droves of new talent and pays dividends for the state far into the future.
Featured amenities at the UAMS Orthopaedic and Spine Hospital
The location of the new Orthopaedic and Spine Hospital is southwest of the main hospital. Its design and location make it quite visible from Interstate 630 and from across the Little Rock campus. Therefore, the new surgical hospital is easily accessible from anywhere in the state. The hospital expects to start receiving its first set of patients by June.
The hospital was built to handle spine care, orthopedic surgery, and pain management. Additionally, it features 24 private units for overnight observation and inpatient stays, including 12 operating rooms and 12 examination rooms. The examination rooms will handle issues related to trauma, orthopedic oncology, and physical medicine and rehabilitation.
The new Orthopaedic and Spine Hospital also provides eight exam rooms and two procedure suites for the pain management team to use. The facility also includes educational space for orthopedic surgery residents and office spaces for faculty and administrators.
Nabholz Construction was the general contractor for the Orthopaedic & Spine Hospital project. While the Cromwell Architects Engineers handled the designs.
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