"Dateline NBC" to Feature Arkansas Children's Hospital in hour program

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (Jan. 27, 2010) -- America will get an inside look at Arkansas' pediatric crown jewel in a one-hour "Dateline NBC" program Sunday, Jan. 31 at 6 p.m. central time. The New York production team of Arkansas natives Brent and Craig Renaud taped inside Arkansas Children's Hospital for a year-and-a-half, capturing stories of survival, as well as struggle, among several patients and families there. The crew also taped on location at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), witnessing emotional stories of new mothers and their infants.

"Although we haven't been told which of these incredible stories will make Sunday's program, it is certain to be a news documentary that will make parents hug their own children, and make Arkansans proud of their own pediatric hospital," says Tom Bonner, senior vice president for Public Affairs at Arkansas Children's Hospital. The Dateline piece also will feature medical students in the pediatric residency program at UAMS who train at Arkansas Children's Hospital. Arkansas Children's is the pediatric training facility for medical students at UAMS. The production crew followed the lives of several of the hospital's medical residents as they train across a number of different subspecialties while also caring for young patients. Arkansas Children's Hospital is among the 10 largest pediatric hospitals in the United States. NBC's Chief Medical Editor, and former Arkansas physician, Dr. Nancy Snyderman will host Sunday's Dateline program. Snyderman is formerly an Otolaryngology surgeon at Arkansas Children's Hospital and UAMS. She returned to the hospital frequently during the course of the taping for the "Dateline" documentary.

NBC's morning news program, "The Today Show," will air a preview of the "Dateline" piece Friday morning, Jan. 29. The "Today" hosts will also interview two residents who are featured in the news documentary, Drs. Amanda Greuter and Ryan Wilkes. One programming note - in the event of breaking news, the "Dateline" or "Today Show" segments could potentially be postponed.

Arkansas Children's Hospital is the only pediatric medical center in Arkansas and one of the largest in the United States serving children from birth to age 21. The campus spans 29 city blocks and houses 316 beds, a staff of approximately 500 physicians, 80 residents in pediatrics and pediatric specialties and more than 4,200 employees. The private, nonprofit healthcare facility boasts an internationally renowned reputation for medical breakthroughs and intensive treatments, unique surgical procedures and forward-thinking medical research - all dedicated to fulfilling our mission of enhancing, sustaining and restoring children's health and development. ACH is ranked 85th on the 2010 FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work ForŪ. For more information, visit www.archildrens.org.

UAMS is the state's only comprehensive academic health center, with Colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Related Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a 540,000-square-foot hospital; six centers of excellence and a statewide network of regional centers. UAMS has 2,775 students and 748 medical residents. Its centers of excellence include the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, the Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, the Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy, the Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, the Psychiatric Research Institute and the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging. It is the state's largest public employer with more than 10,000 employees, including nearly 1,150 physicians who provide medical care to patients at UAMS, Arkansas Children's Hospital, the VA Medical Center and UAMS' Area Health Education Centers throughout the state. Visit www.uams.edu or www.uamshealth.com.