Serving Arkansas and Beyond

The CHI St. Vincent Arkansas Neuroscience Institute Research and Education Center designed not only for brain surgery but to also treat complex neurological conditions from patients from all 75 counties in Arkansas and around the world, that building begins to assume a significance that resonates far beyond its own stone and steel structure. Such is the case with the CHI St. Vincent Arkansas Neuroscience Institute Research and Education Center.

“When we started, the plan was really to establish a center which would become like a lighthouse for ships, except this would be a lighthouse for neurosurgery,” said Dr. Ali Krisht, director of the Arkansas Neuroscience Institute (ANI). “Whether for treatment or learning or research that is related to the brain and diseases of the brain and the neurosurgical treatment of these diseases, we would become the destination neuroscience institute that people would seek.”

Setting the Bar for Patient Care

Part of ANI’s goal with the new center was to elevate the level of patient care to a new standard that can become a model for other institutions around the world to follow. In many ways, that patient care experience begins in the new ANI clinic. “Dr. Krisht had a clear vision for the function of the space and we designed each area around that vision,” said Chris Stines who served as ANI director during the project before assuming the role of president at CHI St. Vincent North. “He has seen, operated in and experienced hospitals, clinics, operating rooms and educational spaces around the world. We took some ideas from those spaces and improved upon them in both design and function.”

Designed to Ease Patient Anxiety and Stress

In traditional clinic spaces, the patient is ushered to their exam room through the clinic support, triage, doctors’ offices and nurses’ stations, but these areas are often cluttered and potentially increase anxiety for the patient. The team designing the ANI clinic wanted to eliminate any additional sources for anxiety as one step toward improving patient experiences.

In the new Arkansas Neuroscience Institute clinic there is a separation between the patient and the clinical staff spaces. The patient is led from the waiting area to their exam room via a light filled, patient only corridor. The patient nurses and doctors enter the exam room through a separate door that accesses the staff areas, creating a much less stressful experience for the patient and allows for a collaborative staff area with access to all the exam rooms.

Dr. Ali Krisht and his team are proven to have more positive outcomes than national averages. Having performed 2,000 surgeries on aneurysms and 1,000 surgeries on the cavernous sinus with recognized clinical outcomes.

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Arkansas Neuroscience Institute