Simmons Bank Donates $1M to Construction of Pine Bluff Clinic

George Makris Jr. (Karen E. Segrave)

Simmons Bank has donated $1 million toward construction of Arkansas Children’s Pine Bluff Clinic. 

Arkansas Children’s, in association with Jefferson Regional, previously announced that it is establishing a new pediatric clinic on the campus of Jefferson Regional in Pine Bluff.

The clinic requires a $17.5 million investment to fund construction and operating expenses over the first five years. 

Initial plans estimate that it will be about 10,000 SF and have 14 exam rooms, team collaboration space and a welcoming lobby with kid-savvy spaces. The clinic’s physicians will also provide frontline care to newborns receiving care in the NICU who are delivered at Jefferson Regional. 

“Simmons Bank has a rich history of supporting the communities we call home, especially our hometown community of Pine Bluff,” said Chairman and CEO George A. Makris Jr. in a news release. “We are proud to invest in the new Arkansas Children’s Pine Bluff Clinic on the Jefferson Regional campus and provide a vital healthcare resource for families in the region.”

The clinic lobby will be named in honor of Simmons Bank.

“In these unprecedented times with the COVID-19 health crisis, we are incredibly grateful for the support of Simmons Bank,” said Marcy Doderer, president and CEO of Arkansas Children’s. “We continue to care for sick and vulnerable children because we know that delayed care could result in lifelong health complications. Our children need us now more than ever.”

Fred Scarborough, president of the Arkansas Children’s Foundation, said, “Arkansas Children’s is grateful for this investment in the promise of providing unprecedented health care to children in Pine Bluff and the southern region of our state.”

“Jefferson Regional provides vital health care to the southeast region of Arkansas,” said Brian Thomas, president and CEO of Jefferson Regional. “Providing a new pediatric clinic in association with Arkansas Children’s will ensure we have long-term stability to continue providing the children of this region great health care.”