The National Center for Opioid and Addiction Research (NCOAR) is a 65,000-square-foot research facility that will include three floors on the southeast end of the Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH) campus. The center will be anchored to maternal and child health and focus on research, developing treatment programs, prevention and community outreach and engagement, aiming to change the trajectory of the opioid crisis and substance misuse nationwide.

NCOAR and the Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center, one of six National Human Nutrition Centers funded through the USDA-ARS, are collaborative programs within Arkansas Children’s Research Institute (ACRI). The project is supported by a $55 million allocation from opioid and vaping settlement funds, awarded by Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin, as part of a $75 million investment in the center.

NCOAR will pioneer groundbreaking research related to opioids and other substance misuse and collaborate with community members involved in addressing opioid and substance use disorders. This research includes collecting data and building datasets to follow children and families over time, studying how opioid exposure affects a child’s development, outcomes, and life trajectory which will help to guide treatment approaches, standard of care practices, and inform policy decisions. While this is not a residential treatment facility, the center hopes to work with community organizations to help connect people in the community to the right resources, and enhance the quality of those resources, including working with the Six Bridges Clinic at UAMS.

The work at NCOAR is not just about prevention; it’s about understanding how opioid exposure impacts children and families, sharing evidence-based treatment options with medical experts and partnering with schools, communities and law enforcement to develop or enhance programs that support children’s health and well-being for the long term.

This space was designed with family-centered care in mind. When families first walk into the family clinical research unit (FCRU) lobby, they will experience an atmosphere that feels like “home,” including ample comfortable seating and natural light. With a design that blends a warm and welcoming atmosphere with state-of-the art research infrastructure, this facility will not only support children and families, but also serve as a space for team members, researchers and community members to meet, conduct education and training or have conversations that lead to team building, collaboration and partnerships.

The center also includes:

First floor:

  • A main lobby with a grab-and-go café and indoor and outdoor seating,
  • 12 private, adaptable interview/observational rooms for studies (like neurological, cognitive and behavioral assessments),
  • Four multipurpose rooms, including a sensory-specific room for children who need sensory accommodations,
  • A phlebotomy lab for blood draws, attached to a sample processing lab (samples will be processed there and taken to ACRI for study),
  • And the Research Imaging Center, including a 3T-MRI machine, an MRI simulator room, two EEG testing rooms and a dedicated data processing space, will offer a collaborative environment for researchers and students to study MRI and EEG data.

Second floor:

  • An administrative office space, dry labs and open workstations for research team members,
  • Community Engagement and Conference Center with a lobby area, outdoor terrace and space for catering service,
  • A large conference room with seating for approximately 190 people that can be divided by a partition,
  • A medium conference room with seating for 20 that can be divided by a partition,
  • And two small conference rooms with seating for 12 in each room.

Third floor:

  • A shell space for future administrative office space, dry labs and open workstations for research team members.