LITTLE ROCK—More patients and their families could take advantage of low-cost lodging opportunities at campsites in Maumelle Park west of Little Rock under an agreement between the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The Corps of Engineers and UAMS announced an agreement Tuesday to share the costs of building and operating six new campsites at the recreation area on the banks of the Arkansas River.

The park “has historically been an economical source of lodging for out-of-town patients who come to Little Rock for medical treatment,” according to a Corps of Engineers news release.

Miles Johnson, an administrator for the Corps, said that, over the past year, more than 81 people were documented in Maumelle Park “as seeking long-term stays related to medical treatment.”