The nonprofit Willard & Pat Walker Charitable Foundation has pledged $2 million to support the construction of the UAMS Health Orthopaedics & Sports Performance Center in Springdale.
The 115,000-SF, $85 million facility will provide specialized care for the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville’s athletes. The center is scheduled to open in summer 2025.
In a news release, UAMS said the facility will also make available the highest level of orthopaedic care for northwest Arkansas residents by combining the services provided at its two existing orthopaedic facilities in Fayetteville and Lowell and offering new services.
“The Walker Foundation has been instrumental in the growth of Northwest Arkansas, and we are grateful that this support has been extended to UAMS’ operations in the area,” Dr. Cam Patterson, UAMS chancellor and CEO of UAMS Health, said in the release. “Willard and Pat Walker were amazing people, and their legacy of leadership and philanthropy will continue to inspire UAMS’ mission for many years to come.”
The Walker Foundation, founded in 1986, supports charitable, religious, scientific, literary or educational endeavors in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Kansas. Willard Walker was an executive at Walmart when it went public, making a fortune as one of the company's first shareholders.
