UAMS has received two federal grants totaling $11 million to create a gastroenterology clinic and endoscopy center in the Freeway Medical Tower and upgrade the Monroe Building on its Little Rock campus.
The construction grants were awarded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA).
A $8 million grant will support the transformation of 15,000 SF of unused UAMS-owned space on the seventh floor of the Freeway Medical Tower into the new gastroenterology clinic and advanced endoscopy outpatient center.
The gastroenterology clinic will occupy 9,000 SF of the space and will include 14 exam rooms. It will also include separate spaces for infusion therapy, minor procedures and phlebotomy, as well as workrooms for doctors and nurses, faculty offices, a reception area, a waiting room and staff support spaces.
The new endoscopy space will cover 6,000 SF of the space and will include multiple endoscopy procedure rooms, patient prep and recovery areas, a space for sterile processing, a reception area, faculty offices and staff support areas.
The new clinic will aim to improve patient flow and maximize physician productivity, as well as help recruit more highly trained gastrointestinal experts to UAMS. Construction is slated to begin in June 2025.
A separate $3 million HRSA grant will provide mechanical, electrical, plumbing and roofing upgrades to the Monroe building.
A press release from UAMS said this would allow full use of the building’s space in the future, possibly for the expansion of Milk Bank programs, by creating a maternal education center for lactation visits, and education and training for health care providers.
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