Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin marked a major construction milestone this week at Arkansas Children’s Hospital with a topping-out ceremony for the National Center for Opioid Research and Clinical Effectiveness, known as NCOR.
Griffin said the project represents an important step in establishing Arkansas as a national leader in opioid research and pediatric health care. He noted that the center is being funded primarily through opioid settlement grants and will focus on studying the impact of opioids on unborn babies, newborns, and developing children.
Griffin said the center will provide critical research while also helping elevate Arkansas’s profile in health care innovation and treatment.
Arkansas Children’s President and CEO Marcy Doderer said the opioid crisis continues to affect families across the state, with impacts seen daily in neonatal intensive care units, emergency rooms, and outpatient clinics. She said the new research center will strengthen efforts to improve outcomes for children affected by opioid exposure and addiction-related health issues.
Hospital leaders said NCOR will combine clinical care, research, and prevention strategies to support long-term solutions to the opioid epidemic affecting children and families in Arkansas and beyond.
Construction of the center is continuing on the Arkansas Children’s campus in Little Rock, with officials praising the growing research team and partnerships that will support its mission once fully operational.
