Arkansas, officially "The Natural State," is a state of mountains, valleys, dense woodland and fertile plains. Arkansas covers 52,068 square miles, with a 2006 estimated population of 2,810,872 people- 1,155,458 living in rural Arkansas (USDA-ERS). The state capital is Little Rock. The largest cities are Little Rock, Fort Smith, and Fayetteville. According to the 2005 Census, 81.3% of the state’s population is white, 15.7% is Black/African-American, and 4.7% is of Hispanic/Latino origin.
There are 80 hospitals in Arkansas, 50 of which are
located in rural areas (North Carolina Rural Health Research and
Policy Analysis Center, 2007). According to the
Arkansas State Office of Rural Health & Primary Care, there are 28
Critical Access Hospitals, 12 Community Health Centers with 55
sites, and 66 Rural Health Clinics (September, 2007). Seventeen percent
of Arkansas residents lack any health insurance (Kaiser, 2004-2005).
According to the Economic Research Service, the average per-capita income for all Arkansas residents in 2005 was $26,681 although rural per-capita income lagged at $22,952. Estimates from 2004 indicate a poverty rate of 17.7% exists in rural Arkansas, compared with 15.6% in urban areas of the state. Data from 2000 finds that 29.3% of the rural population has not completed high school, while 21.1% of the urban population lacks a high school diploma. The unemployed rate in rural Arkansas is 6.2%, while in urban Arkansas it is 5.3% (USDA-ERS, 2006).
For a national comparison, please see an overview of the United States.
Data Sources:
U.S. Census Bureau:
State & County QuickFacts
USDA
Economic Research Service: State Fact Sheets
North
Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
Arkansas Office of Rural Health & Primary Care
Kaiser
Family Foundation State Health Facts
Flex
Monitoring Team: Critical Access Hospital List
Organizations
Arkansas Community Action Agencies Association (ACAAA)
State/regional organization
Is a private, nonprofit organization, located in Little Rock, Arkansas. ACAAA provides training, technical assistance, communications support, information resource development, and advocacy to the 16 private, nonprofit community action agencies throughout the state.
Arkansas Department of Health
State government
Works for the health of Arkansas residents.
Arkansas Department of Human Services
State government
Provides services to Arkansas residents.
Arkansas Health Care Access Foundation (AHCAF)
State/regional organization
Provides donated non-emergency medical care to low income medically uninsured U.S. citizens residing in Arkansas.
Arkansas Hospital Association (AHA)
State/regional organization
Assists its members through collective initiatives which facilitate the integration and improvement of the delivery of healthcare services throughout Arkansas.
Arkansas Office of Child Support Enforcement
State government
Is responsible for the delivery of child support services under Title IV-D of the Social Security Act. Assists both individuals and employers with information and services pertaining to child support laws.
Arkansas Office of Rural Health & Primary Care
State government
A component of the Arkansas Department of Health (William Rodgers) and Human Services, Division of Health, which promotes the development of community-based health care services and systems throughout Arkansas to ensure that well managed, quality health services are available to all citizens.
Community Health Centers of Arkansas (CHCA)
State/regional organization
CHCA strives to ensure 100% access and zero disparities through promoting and facilitating shared resources, collaborative partnerships, and providing technical assistance to impact positively the expansion of healthcare services in and among communities.
Community Resource Group (CRG)
Nonprofit/Foundation
Works in rural areas to expand the opportunities for families to build assets, improve their lives, and strengthen their communities.
HUD Community Development Block Grants: Arkansas
Federal government
Contact information for the State CDBG program. Provides funding for community development projects.
Mid-South Delta Initiative (MSDI)
Nonprofit/Foundation
The Mid South Delta Initiative (MSDI) is a long-term economic, community and leadership development effort focused on 55 contiguous counties and parishes along the Mississippi River in rural Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi.
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development: Arkansas
Federal government
Works to increase homeownership, support community development and increase access to affordable housing. The HUD state office provides information about HUD housing programs and local contacts for the state.
USDA Rural Development Arkansas State Office
Federal government
Committed to helping improve the economy and quality of life in all of rural America. The Rural Development State Office provides information about Rural Development programs and applications for financial assistance.
Tools
Arkansas QuickFacts
Web site
Basic demographic and economic statistics for the state, with links to county-level data.
Arkansas Community Level Information on Kids (CLIKS)
Web site
Provides data on child well-being for the state.
Arkansas Health Centers Data
Web site
Provides access to information on Federally Qualified Health Centers for the state. Includes a map of FQHC locations, as well as information on the populations served by health centers, services provided, staff, patient visits, costs of care, and use of electronic health information.
Arkansas Health Workforce: Highlights from the Health Workforce Profile
Web site
Highlights compile 2000 data on levels of employment, projected growth and key environmental factors that affect demand for health care. Details for medicine, nursing, dentistry, pharmacy, mental health and aides.
Arkansas State Health Facts
Database
The latest state-level data on demographics, health, and health policy, including health coverage, access, financing, and state legislation. Individual state profiles and 50-state comparisons.
Arkansas State Medicaid Profile
Web site
Provides data on Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) for the state.
ERS State Fact Sheet: Arkansas
Web site
Statistics on population, educational attainment, employment, income, farm characteristics, and farm financial indicators for the state.
National Healthcare Quality Report State Snapshot: Arkansas
Web site
Health care quality report for the state, based on the National Healthcare Quality Report.
State Profiles- Arkansas: Health Information Technology (HIT)
Web site
Profiles the state’s health information technology (HIT) issues. Contains sections on demographics, HIT legislation, telemedicine, Health Information Exchanges (HIE) & Regional Health Information Organizations (RHIO), grant funded HIT projects, and HIT survey information.
Vital Information for a Healthy Arkansas
Web site
The Arkansas Center for Health Statistics is the location for health-related data collection, data management, analysis, statistics, research, consultation, training, publication and computer use.
See also: Resources for All States: Tools Documents, Reports and Other Publications
Around the Country: Arkansas A Unique Partnership
Author(s): Thomas D. Rowley
Sponsoring organization: Rural Assistance Center
Discusses a partnership between Arkansas' Corning Ware Healthcare Inc. and the Lawrence Health Services to become the nation's first partnership between a FQHC and a CAH. Provides service to the underserved and uninsured people in the state's northeast corner.
Journal citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 04 / 2005
Around the Country: QuadCo - Offering Prescription Assistance in Rural Arkansas
Author(s): Candi Helseth
Sponsoring organization: Rural Assistance Center
Highlights an innovative rural health network in Arkansas which offers prescription drug assistance and medical supplies to the uninsured and underinsured.
Journal citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 05 / 2008
Demographic and Economic Profile: Arkansas
Author(s): Kathleen K. Miller
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute
Discusses demographic and economic data including population, race, education, age, poverty, income, and more. Includes maps and graphics.
Date: 07 / 2006
Long-term Care in Arkansas: A Survey of AARP Members
Author(s): Joanne Binette
Sponsoring organization: AARP
Explores the attitudes and opinions of 1,000 Arkansas AARP members on the issue of long-term care.
Date: 12 / 2005
Small Business Profile: Arkansas
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Small Business Administration
Profile of the state's economy, covering the number of firms, industry composition, small business income, banking, women and minority business ownership, and employment.
Date: 2006
State Profiles - Arkansas: Reforming the Health Care System
Sponsoring organization: AARP Public Policy Institute
Detailed profile of the state's health care system. Covers demographics, expenditures and financing, health status, utilization and quality of services, health care providers, Medicare, Medicaid, health insurance coverage, and key trends.
Date: 12 / 2005
See also: Resources for All States: Documents Success Stories
Arkansas Regional Quality Improvement Initiative
The Arkansas RQI initiative is targeting quality improvement breakthroughs in four clinical areas: comprehensive diabetes care, cervical cancer screening, well-child visits, and preventive services for adults.
Chronic Care Education Outreach Program
The consortium for the Chronic Care Education Outreach Program will expand an existing chronic illness self-management education program to focus on the elderly in Woodruff and Prairie counties in the Arkansas Delta region.
Heartwatch: Southwest Arkansas Rural Network
The primary goal of the project was to increase and expand access to rural health services for a population at risk of chronic diseases like hypertension and diabetes by promoting risk reduction and prevention programs through an integrated health services delivery network of rural providers.
Marvell Medical Clinic
A consortium of three local entities - the Helena Regional Medical Center
(HRMC), Delta Health Education Center (DHEC), and Mid-Delta Community Health Center (MD/CHC) - created the Marvell Medical Clinic.
Maternal Infant Health Outreach Worker Program
The Vanderbilt Center for Health Services’ Maternal Infant Health Outreach Worker (MIHOW) program provides early intervention services to low income families in Nashville as well as other urban and rural areas in Appalachia and the Mississippi delta, including Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, and West Virginia.
Rural Health Outreach Program for Children (Mena, Arkansas)
Nine local organizations that offered different types of health and social services agreed to create a consortium to share responsibility for providing a range of services to young parents and expectant mothers.
White River Rural Health Center, Inc. Diabetes Collaborative
The White River Rural Health Center, Inc. Diabetes Collaborative is a self-contained Federally Qualified Community Health Center (FQHC). It provides primary care and management of diabetes and associated conditions.
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