History of Northwest Medical Center - Bentonville

The Beginning

Through the visions of Andrew Jackson Bates, his wife Ellen and the community leaders of Bentonville, Bates Memorial Hospital became a reality in 1942.  This twelve-bed hospital at 302 South Main was the first hospital in Benton County and second in Northwest Arkansas.

Expansions in 1943 helped to better serve a growing community. By 1960 it became evident that the hospital building would have to be replaced with a modern expanded facility to serve Bentonville and the surrounding area.The Bentonville Hospital Association, a non-profit organization, was established to operate the new city-owned Bates Memorial Hospital.

Citizens of Bentonville raised $100,000 in contributions and approved a five-mill tax levy to finance the $150,000 bond issue.  These funds were matched by a federal grant, enabling construction of the new thirty-five-bed $500,000 Bates Memorial Hospital that opened in April 1964 at its present location.  Further expansion became essential in 1971 and an East Wing was added, increasing the bed count to sixty-three.  At the same time, other facilities and services were added, including an intensive cardiac care unit.

In 1977 after three years of intensive planning the community of Bentonville contributed more than $800,000 and authorized another five-mill tax levy to provide $900,000 of the 3.5 million dollars needed to complete another expansion. The balance was financed through a long-term guaranteed loan through Farmer’s Home Administration. In 1985 and again in 1991, additional modernization was undertaken, including the  renovation  or the West Wing and the addition of a cardiac catheterization laboratory and a nuclear medicine program.  In addition, an After-Hours Clinic was established within the Emergency Department to assist after hours non-emergent patients. In 1994 an in-patient gero-psych unit was established providing a much needed service for the elderly.

Becoming Part of Northwest Health System

On April 1, 1996 Bates Medical Center announced its intention to merge with Northwest Medical Center. The two hospitals would merge to form Northwest Health System, governed by a Board of Directors who represented both the Springdale and Bentonville/Bella Vista communities. In 1997 Marvin and Evelyn Chapman made a generous donation to Bates, enabling the cardiopulmonary rehabilitation unit to almost triple in size and to purchase new equipment.

Northwest Health System signed a management contract with Quorum Health Resources, August 1, 1997, the largest management company of not-for-profit hospitals in the United States.

Back to Babies

As services continue to expand, the announcement was made that Bates would reenter the baby business – the last baby was delivered at Bates in 1980. The expansion would include a ten-bed women’s center at a cost of 1.5-2.0 million dollars.  The center would consist of a four-bed Family Birthplace, modeled after the one at Northwest Medical Center, featuring private rooms for labor, delivery, recovery and post-partum.  The center was opened on January 1, 1999 and a female OB/GYN was scheduled to arrive on staff in April.  During the month of May 1999, the first baby was delivered at Bates in more than fifteen years.

In August of 1998 the NHS Board of Directors announced that they would sign a Letter-of-Intent to sell Northwest Health System to Quorum Health Resources, in order to make it possible to have access to the necessary capital to be competitive in the marketplace.

Bates Medical Center continued to serve as a  symbol of  Captain Jack Bates and his driving dedication and determination to bring healthcare services to Benton County and to all of Northwest Arkansas.

In 1942, Bentonville community leaders opened Bates Memorial Hospital. On April 1, 1996 Bates Medical Center announced a merger with Northwest Medical Center in Springdale, forming Northwest Health System.

In 2001, Northwest Health System was acquired by Triad Hospitals, Inc. In 2003, Triad Hospitals, Inc. built a replacement facility for Bates and is now called Northwest Medical Center - Bentonville.

Services include surgery, neurosurgery, cardiac, emergency, senior health, digital mammography and digital radiography imaging.