With excellent facilities, cutting-edge technology, and highly trained doctors, nurses and researchers, Arkansas health care providers offer patients top-notch treatment and world-class service. For every age and ailment, hospitals, clinics, assisted-living and nursing homes in central Arkansas are well-equipped to meet the needs of every member of the family.

Baptist Health

Baptist Health is the largest health care provider in the state. With hospitals in Little Rock and North Little Rock and additional facilities in Arkadelphia and Heber Springs, it offers a variety of medical services to its patients. Some of the specialized centers include the Baptist Breast Center, the Baptist Heart Center, the Central Arkansas Radiation Therapy Institute (CARTI) and many physicians’ offices. Baptist Health operates the Baptist Schools of Nursing and Allied Health and owns and operates an independent-living retirement community, an intermediate nursing facility, and a skilled nursing care facility. Visit Baptist-health.com or call (501) 202-2000 for more information.

Central Arkansas Veterans Health-care System (CAVHS)

The Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System has been widely recognized for its excellence in education and research and for a tradition of quality care for Arkansas veterans. The John L. McClellan hospital in Little Rock focuses on acute care, while the Towbin Health Care Center in North Little Rock focuses on long-term, chronic care. CAVHS also serves as a teaching facility through its affiliation with UAMS. Community-based outpatient clinics are located in Mountain Home, El Dorado and Hot Springs. For more information, call (501) 257-1000 or visit the Department of Veterans Affairs at www1.va.gov/health.

Conway Regional Medical Center

Conway Regional Medical Center services patients in the areas of cardiology and cardiopulmonary care and has an emergency department. The Barbara Harpe Nabholz Pavilion provides women’s health services. For more information, call (501) 329-3831 or visit Conwayregional.org.

Rebsamen Regional Medical Center

Rebsamen Regional Medical Center in Jacksonville offers a full range of medical services, including a 24-hour emergency room and a women’s health center. Visit Rebsamenmedicalcenter.com to learn more.

Saline Memorial Hospital

Located in Benton, Saline Memorial Hospital is a 167-bed healthcare organization offering a comprehensive range of inpatient and outpatient services. Its medical staff consists of more than 180 active and consulting physicians. From newborn babies to seniors, Saline Memorial Hospital provides wellness education to prevent illness and disease, acute care when a diagnosis is made and rehabilitation to repair function and restore health ensuring that our community is experiencing quality safe care every step of the way.

St. Vincent Health System

With two locations in Little Rock â€" St. Vincent Infirmary Medical Center and St. Vincent Doctors Hospital â€" and St. Vincent Medical Center/North in Sherwood, plus a network of primary care clinics,?St. Vincent Health System offers comprehensive health care services including cardiology, orthopedics, spine, urology and women’s services. St. Vincent is ranked No. 1 in Arkansas and in the top 5 percent in the nation for overall orthopedic services, joint replacement and spine surgery.

The St. Vincent Center for Women and Children provides comprehensive obstetrical services in a family-friendly setting. St. Vincent is undergoing a $40 million expansion and renovation; the emergency-care facility is scheduled for completion in June 2008, and remaining construction on facilities for surgery, critical care, and women and children’s services should be finished by June 2009. For more information, visit Stvincenthealth.com or call (800) 632-4614.

Southwest Regional Medical Center

Southwest Regional Medical Center provides medical services to patients in southwest Pulaski County and Lonoke, Saline and Grant counties. Services include medical imaging capabilities, as well as evaluation and condition management for chronic pain sufferers. For more information, call (501) 455-7100 or visit Southwestregional.com.

UAMS

The University of Arkansas Medical Sciences is Arkansas’ only academic health center. U.S. News & World Report has named UAMS as one of the country’s best hospitals nine times. UAMS doctors and researchers provide patients with the most cutting-edge medical procedures and technological advances in the state. To find out more, call (501) 686-7000 or visit Uams.edu.

Specialty Hospitals

The Central Arkansas Radiation Therapy Institute provides the highest-quality radiation therapy and patient care at its seven facilities throughout Arkansas in Little Rock, North Little Rock, Conway, Mountain Home and Searcy. Programs at CARTI include support groups for cancer patients and their families, CancerAnswers luncheons, weekend patient retreats, and counseling. For more information, call (501) 664-8573 or visit Carti.com

Arkansas Children’s Hospital, the only pediatric medical center in the state, offers children, teens and young adults a range of medical services, from general checkups to transplant surgery. The Children’s Heart Center is one of the leading hospitals in the United States for pediatric heart transplants, with state-of-the-art technology and team of world-renowned cardiologists. For more information, call (501) 364-1100 or visit Archildrens.org.

The Arkansas Heart Hospital specializes in providing a high level of cardiovascular care in a patient-focused environment. The 24-hour emergency center serves patients with any medical need. Arkansas Heart Hospital is the first nonteaching facility in the nation and 12th in the world to offer the cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging system, a noninvasive outpatient procedure that allows cardiologists to view 3-D images of the heart and vascular system. For more information, call (501) 219-7000 or visit Arheart.com.