Fort Smith is in Sebastian County, which has two county seats, Fort Smith and Greenwood. The city had about 90,900 residents in 2025 by Census Bureau estimates, and 16.0% of residents were 65 or older in the 2020 to 2024 American Community Survey. Sebastian County was 18.3% 65 and older in the 2025 estimates, and Crawford County across the river, home to Van Buren and Alma, was 19.2%.
The main hospitals belong to two systems. Baptist Health runs Baptist Health-Fort Smith and Baptist Health-Van Buren. Mercy Hospital Fort Smith is on Rogers Avenue. Admissions pages should name the payers you take and give a direct line for hospital case managers, because they work fast and call the place that is easiest to reach.
Many families in the Fort Smith area live in Oklahoma, in towns like Sallisaw, Poteau and Spiro. An Arkansas nursing home or assisted living can welcome them, but the website should be clear that you are licensed in Arkansas and that Medicaid eligibility runs through Arkansas DHS. Home health and hospice agencies should be even more careful. Arkansas licenses each agency for a service area tied to its Permit of Approval, so do not imply Oklahoma coverage unless you are licensed there. Confirm cross-state service with your compliance officer.
Language matters here too. In the 2020 to 2024 American Community Survey, 20.9% of Fort Smith residents age 5 and up spoke a language other than English at home. If your team includes bilingual staff, put it on the admissions page and the careers page.
Hospitals and health systems that refer patients
Towns families search from
Van Buren, Alma, Greenwood, Barling, Lavaca, Charleston, Mansfield, Sallisaw, OK, Poteau, OK. A good Fort Smith site names the places your residents and their families actually come from.
Arkansas rules that apply here
Licensing, inspections, payment programs and the ombudsman for Fort Smith are set at the state level. See what a Arkansas care provider website should show.
Questions
Can a Fort Smith provider market to Oklahoma families?
A facility can welcome residents from anywhere, but be clear that you are Arkansas-licensed. Home health and hospice service areas are tied to Arkansas Permits of Approval, so check with counsel before advertising Oklahoma service.
Which counties should a Fort Smith website target?
Sebastian and Crawford counties first, since both have large older populations. Census Bureau estimates put 65 and older residents at 18.3% of Sebastian County and 19.2% of Crawford County in 2025.
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Arkansas and Little Rock, Fayetteville, Fort Smith, Jonesboro and Bentonville cities
- U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Pulaski, Washington, Benton, Sebastian, Craighead and Saline counties
- U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Bella Vista, Rogers and Springdale cities; Crawford, Greene and Faulkner counties
- U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: language spoken at home, Washington, Benton and Sebastian counties; Fort Smith, Bentonville and Fayetteville
- Baptist Health: Medical centers
- Mercy Hospital Fort Smith
- Arkansas Department of Health: Rules for Home Health Agencies (20 CAR Part 46, proposed rulemaking markup, 2025)
