Rogers-Lowell Area News

Robert S. Williams, MD, FAAP, Named Chief Medical Officer, Arkansas Children's Northwest

(LITTLE ROCK) June 6, 2017 – Arkansas Children's has named Robert S. Williams, MD, FAAP, chief medical officer (CMO) for Arkansas Children’s Northwest (ACNW).

As the new chief medical officer at ACNW, Williams will provide operational leadership and oversight of the medical services at ACNW, which is currently under construction in Springdale with an opening date of January 2018. He will work with the clinical departments and hospital administration in program growth and development and oversee the quality of medical care provided at ACNW.

Previously, Williams served as an assistant professor of pediatrics for the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. He worked closely with electronic medical record systems as the information technology medical director at the Children’s Hospital at OU Medical Center before being named the medical director for pediatric emergency medicine.

“Rob’s extensive experience in IT operations and pediatric emergency medicine will be invaluable as we work together to open the new hospital and bring pediatric care close to home for the children and families in northwest Arkansas,” said Trisha Montague, senior vice president/chief administrator of ACNW. “With his background in pediatric emergency medicine, Rob brings great clinical expertise as well as extensive knowledge and passion about patient safety, child advocacy and pediatric outreach. All of these qualities and skills correlate seamlessly with Arkansas Children’s mission of making children better today and healthier tomorrow.”

Williams earned his undergraduate degree in English from the University of California and received his medical degree from St. George’s University. He completed both his pediatric residency and fellowship in pediatric emergency medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and Arkansas Children's Hospital.

“Anyone who has worked at Arkansas Children’s before would understand why we’d come back to Arkansas,” said Williams. “Arkansas Children’s has a reputation that goes well beyond the state’s borders. And this is a very exciting opportunity to serve Northwest Arkansas. We’re hoping to augment the outstanding pediatric care that is already given in that region.”

When it opens in January 2018, Arkansas Children’s Northwest will be the region’s first and only comprehensive pediatric healthcare center and will include:
· 24 inpatient beds to care for children requiring overnight stays
· 24-hour pediatric Emergency Department
· Pediatric surgery unit with 5 operating rooms
· An outpatient clinic with 30 exam rooms supporting more than 20 subspecialty areas and a general pediatric clinic
· A full range of ancillary and diagnostic services, child-life and pastoral care
· Outdoor gardens, nature trails, and interactive features designed for children
· A helipad and refueling station supporting Angel One, one of the nation’s leading pediatric intensive care transport services with more than 2,000 transports annually.

Arkansas Children’s, Inc. is the only hospital system in the state solely dedicated to caring for children, which allows the organization to uniquely shape the landscape of pediatric care in Arkansas. The system includes a 359-bed hospital in Little Rock with the state’s only pediatric Level 1 Trauma Center, burn center, Level 4 neonatal intensive care and pediatric intensive care, and research institute as well as a nationally-recognized transport service. It is one of the 25 largest children’s hospitals in the United States and is nationally ranked by U.S. News World & Report in pulmonology and neonatal care.

A sister campus, Arkansas Children’s Northwest, is under development in Springdale and will bring 233,613 square feet of inpatient beds, emergency care, clinic rooms and diagnostic services to children in that corner of the state. Arkansas Children’s also blankets the state with outreach programs that include telemedicine, mobile health, and school-based health solutions. A private nonprofit, Arkansas Children’s boasts an internationally renowned reputation for medical breakthroughs and intensive treatments, unique surgical procedures and forward-thinking research and is committed to providing every child with access to the best care available, regardless of location or resources. Founded as an orphanage, Arkansas Children’s has championed children by making them better today and healthier tomorrow for more than 100 years. For more info, visit www.archildrens.org/northwest.