CARTI’s Expansion Goes Bigger

A rendering of CARTI’s $35 million, 57,000-SF surgery center under construction on its main campus in Little Rock.

You may recall CARTI announcing plans early last year to expand its Little Rock campus to include a $25 million on-site surgery center.

Construction on the center is underway, but it will be much larger than the nonprofit initially expected, CEO Adam Head told Whispers by phone late last week.

Head said the estimated construction cost has increased to around $35 million. But with equipment, furnishings and more factored in, the project represents an investment of about $50 million in cancer care.

The physical size of the CARTI Surgery Center has also ballooned, going from 35,000 SF to 57,000 SF, Head said.

At least a dozen surgeons will work in the two-story facility, which is adjacent to the flagship cancer center on CARTI Way. The center will create 75-100 jobs and is scheduled to open in December, according to the CEO.

Plans include two procedure rooms, eight private overnight rooms, 12 recovery rooms and 15 pre- and post-op rooms. But it will now have six operating rooms instead of four, plus space to accommodate future expansion, he said.

The architect is Cromwell Architects Engineers of Little Rock, and the contractor is Kinco Constructors of Little Rock.