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The Heartland Whole Health Institute wants to create playbooks for making health care more affordable and accessible that other institutions can follow.

Why it matters: Most Americans are concerned about affording and accessing health care, and rural states like Arkansas face unique struggles in reaching patients.

Zoom in: The institute connected Mercy Health System with the Boston Mountain Rural Health Center to offer some telehealth services in cardiology in areas the center was serving that didn't have access to specialty care.

Some states have given doctors financial incentives like paying student loans in exchange for them practicing in rural areas.

"Those programs are great, but they've only gotten us so far … How do we leverage technology for some of these areas where we may just never be able to recruit rural providers?" the institute's vice president and chief of value-based initiatives Angela Lappin told Axios.

Catch up quick: The institute is a resource hub for health care policy, education and delivery and seeks to identify problems, convene the right partners and come up with solutions, Lappin and president Claude Pirtle told Axios.

"It's all about access to us. Everything we're touching is access, decreased cost and enhanced outcomes," Pirtle said.

Context: The Heartland Whole Health Institute and the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine on the Crystal Bridges campus in Bentonville are both part of Walton's "whole health" initiatives, which emphasize physical and mental health, preventive care and healthy lifestyles.

Walton's work is part of a regional push to ramp up health care after a 2019 report commissioned by the Northwest Arkansas Council found that the region was missing out on nearly $1 billion annually in the health care economy. The report said the region needs more specialty care and health care education to serve its growing population.

State of play: The institute recommends value-based health care systems — where providers have agreements with insurance companies and get paid based on patient outcomes — rather than fee-for-service models, where providers are paid based on visits, tests and procedures, Lappin and Pirtle told Axios.

Value-based care emphasizes primary care and is a simpler system for patients, leading to improved health and quality of life, while not cutting pay for health care workers, Lappin said. Insurance companies also pay for fewer higher-cost procedures.

Case in point: The Heartland Whole Health Institute recently launched a technical assistance center to help organizations interested in launching or growing medical residency programs navigate government funding and conduct feasibility studies.

"If you don't have someone who's a subject matter expert to help you navigate that, it's really unlikely that you're going to get it off the ground because it's just really so complicated," Lappin said.

Graduate medical education is a major focus among government and health care leaders as the state has more medical school graduates than residency slots, meaning it's investing in future doctors who have to leave the state to complete their residencies.

Flashback: The Legislature in 2025 passed Act 269, joining most states in the Interstate Medical License Compact, an agreement that allows doctors to practice in multiple states.

"That was a huge win," Pirtle said. "We helped educate around the importance in being part of that."

What's next: The institute plans to dig more into preventive issues that affect health.

concerned about affording and accessing health care

recently launched a technical assistance center

Heartland Whole Health Institute tests ways to expand health care

The institute is testing ways to expand access and lower costs.

photo outside Heartland Whole Health Institute

Heartland Whole Health Institute. Photo: Alex Golden/Axios

The Heartland Whole Health Institute wants to create playbooks for making health care more affordable and accessible that other institutions can follow.Why it matters: Most Americans are <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="concerned about affording and accessing health care" data-vars-click-url="https://news.gallup.com/poll/707732/healthcare-reclaims-top-spot-among-domestic-worries.aspx" data-vars-content-id="15f92fbd-3425-4c74-b3d5-12d532b25fd5" data-vars-headline="Heartland Whole Health Institute tests ways to expand health care" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/707732/healthcare-reclaims-top-spot-among-domestic-worries.aspx" target="_blank">concerned about affording and accessing health care</a>, and rural states like Arkansas face unique struggles in reaching patients.

Health

Walmart heir Alice Walton announced Thursday that her planned Bentonville health care campus will include a hospital and a "world-class" cancer center.

Why it matters: Walton's vision is for the 120-acre AWSOM Whole Health Campus to be a game changer not only for Northwest Arkansas but for the state and the broader Heartland.

What they're saying: "I see innovation, technology and research coming together to improve lives and address the critical issue of providing access for rural communities throughout the state and the region," she told a crowd at the event.

Smiling Alice Walton stands at a clear podium under a white tent, wearing a bright pink blazer over a light blouse, speaking into two microphones.

Alice Walton speaks at a groundbreaking for the AWSOM Whole Health Campus. Photo: Alex Golden/Axios

Zoom in: The campus will offer specialty care services in orthopedics and neurology as well as the previously announced cardiac care at a 700,000-square-foot building, Walton said. A news release also lists gastroenterology.

Additionally, a 1 million-square-foot hospital will have approximately 250 beds and 40 operating rooms. A 1.1 million-square-foot cancer center will also be built on the campus.

The latest: Springdale-based Tyson Foods and the Tyson Family Foundation will contribute $50 million to support the campus, Tyson Foods board chair John H. Tyson announced at the event.

The big picture: The campus is a major step toward ramping up health care services in the region, which has been a coordinated effort since at least 2019. A report found the region was missing out on nearly $1 billion a year in the health care economy and didn't have enough specialty care services to serve its growing population, let alone attract people from outside NWA for care.

Walton noted the campus has been in the works for seven years.

The region has seen a push toward more health care education, residency slots for doctors and expansions like those at Arkansas Children's Northwest, Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas, Highlands Oncology and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

Context: The campus is a culmination of Walton's wellness ventures that she says are aimed at transforming American health care into a system that treats the patient as a whole person.

Her medical school, the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine, welcomed its first students last year, and her health care nonprofit, the Heartland Whole Health Institute, is up and running.

Zoom out: The Alice L. Walton Foundation, Mercy and Heartland Whole Health Institute have a 30-year agreement that includes $350 million from Mercy and another $350 million from the Alice L. Walton Foundation to build new facilities and recruit doctors. The organizations also have a 10-year agreement with Cleveland Clinic.

Mercy Health System will pursue a Level 2 trauma center designation and eventually a Level 1 designation for its Rogers hospital, Mercy president and CEO Steve Mackin said at the event.

A Level 1 designation is the highest level of emergency care capability, and NWA has no hospitals of that level. Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville is the region's only Level 2 trauma center and is working on becoming a Level 1. Mercy's Rogers hospital is a Level 3.

What's next: Construction has started on the campus' Center for Advanced Specialty Care, which is planned to open in 2029, according to a news release.

University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

Alice Walton plans Bentonville hospital and cancer center

The 120-acre campus will bring major specialty care services to Northwest Arkansas.

Watercolor illustration of a large modern glass-and-steel building complex surrounded by a lush park with trees, ponds, and winding walkways; people stroll along the paths on a sunny day.

A rendering shows the future health care campus. Image: Courtesy of Alice L. Walton Foundation

Walmart heir Alice Walton announced Thursday that her planned Bentonville <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="health care campus" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/nw-arkansas/2025/02/19/alice-walton-foundation-walmart-land-purchase-health-care-campus" data-vars-content-id="1a5207b2-9eeb-46ca-adbe-41dc01122f8e" data-vars-headline="Alice Walton plans Bentonville hospital and cancer center" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/nw-arkansas/2025/02/19/alice-walton-foundation-walmart-land-purchase-health-care-campus" target="_self">health care campus</a> will include a hospital and a &quot;world-class&quot; cancer center.Why it matters: Walton&#x27;s vision is for the 120-acre AWSOM Whole Health Campus to be a game changer not only for Northwest Arkansas but for the state and the broader Heartland.

Development

😎 Weekend Starts — Kick off the weekend with this free festival with live music from 5:30-7:30pm today at The Ramble in downtown Fayetteville.

🖼️ "Grandma Moses: A Good Day's Work" — This new exhibition opens Saturday at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. It features paintings, embroideries and photographs examining the life of Anna Mary Robertson, who spent most of her life as a housekeeper, farmer and mother before holding her first solo art exhibition at 80 years old, according to the museum.

Tickets are $15 or free for museum members, people 25 and younger, veterans and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants. The exhibit runs until March 29, 2027.

🧵 Ozark Quilt Fair — The event includes quilts on display, a historian talk, live music and quilt-themed art activities.

10am-2pm Saturday at Shiloh Museum of Ozark History. Free.

 Your weekend plans: Art exhibit, quilts, free festival

Illustration of a line of briefcases followed by a suitcase with a pair of sunglasses and a hat on it

Get out this weekend.😎 <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Weekend Starts" data-vars-click-url="https://www.experiencefayetteville.com/event-detail/?event_id=weekend-starts-in-the-ramble&amp;theme=fayetteville&amp;date=2026-09-11-17-30&amp;cities=fayetteville&amp;clipToBounds=0&amp;embedded=1&amp;radius=100000&amp;tags=Fayetteville&amp;theme=fayetteville" data-vars-content-id="e07656e3-0c68-4168-af52-dbb6d493e986" data-vars-headline=" Your weekend plans: Art exhibit, quilts, free festival" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.experiencefayetteville.com/event-detail/?event_id=weekend-starts-in-the-ramble&amp;theme=fayetteville&amp;date=2026-09-11-17-30&amp;cities=fayetteville&amp;clipToBounds=0&amp;embedded=1&amp;radius=100000&amp;tags=Fayetteville&amp;theme=fayetteville" target="_blank">Weekend Starts</a> — Kick off the weekend with this free festival with live music from 5:30-7:30pm today at The Ramble in downtown Fayetteville.

Things to Do

The Fayetteville City Council meets tonight and plans to take up:

🏊 Reserving up to $75,000 of the aquatics/recreation center bonds for further site evaluation and study related to the location of the planned aquatics/recreation center. 

Voters in March approved a $61.9 million bond issue for an aquatics/recreation center with 50.7% of the vote. The proposed location at Lewis Park has been a point of contention among residents.

💰 Recognizing about $7.7 million in interest earned on the 2019 sales and use tax capital improvement bonds.

📍 If you go: 5:30pm at City Hall or online.

The Agenda: Fayetteville aquatic center location

Voters approved a bond issue to build an aquatic center.

Photo illustration of Fayetteville City Hall with lines radiating from it.

Photo illustration: Axios Visuals. Photo: Alex Golden/Axios

The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Fayetteville City Council" data-vars-click-url="https://fayettevillear.portal.civicclerk.com/event/1653/files/agenda/5478" data-vars-content-id="f0a0c150-1ad2-4c6d-bfd3-9dc8e43528e2" data-vars-headline="The Agenda: Fayetteville aquatic center location" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://fayettevillear.portal.civicclerk.com/event/1653/files/agenda/5478" target="_blank">Fayetteville City Council</a> meets tonight and plans to take up:🏊 Reserving up to $75,000 of the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="aquatics/recreation center" data-vars-click-url="https://www.fayetteville-ar.gov/4504/Aquatic-Recreation-Center" data-vars-content-id="f0a0c150-1ad2-4c6d-bfd3-9dc8e43528e2" data-vars-headline="The Agenda: Fayetteville aquatic center location" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.fayetteville-ar.gov/4504/Aquatic-Recreation-Center" target="_blank">aquatics/recreation center</a> bonds for further site evaluation and study related to the location of the planned aquatics/recreation center.

News

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Tuesday announced that Arkansas plans to offer supportive living services to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities who are on a waitlist.

Why it matters: Supportive living services help people with disabilities live at home by paying for in-home care, according to a news release from Sanders' office.

It's the most commonly requested service from families who are on the waitlist for the Arkansas Department of Human Services' community and employment support (CES) waiver.

By the numbers: The state estimates the cost will be about $17 million.

About 8,230 people are enrolled in the waiver program while about 2,460 are on the waitlist.

Context: The move comes after families' push for the change got traction on social media, the Arkansas Advocate reported. An online petition in support of a special legislative session to end the waitlist had more than 2,900 signatures as of this week.

What's next: Sanders and her administration will discuss with the Legislature how to best fund the services, and more details will come soon.

State plans home health coverage for waitlisted Arkansans with disabilities

More than 2,400 Arkansans are on a waitlist.

Illustration of papers with checked off boxes being held together by a dollar sign shaped paperclip 

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Tuesday announced that Arkansas plans to offer supportive living services to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities who are on a waitlist.Why it matters: Supportive living services help people with disabilities live at home by paying for in-home care, according to a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="news release" data-vars-click-url="https://governor.arkansas.gov/news_post/sanders-announces-framework-to-assist-families-on-ces-waitlist/" data-vars-content-id="fae0fd87-aa9c-4355-8158-f96d72d54e4d" data-vars-headline="State plans home health coverage for waitlisted Arkansans with disabilities" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://governor.arkansas.gov/news_post/sanders-announces-framework-to-assist-families-on-ces-waitlist/" target="_blank">news release</a> from Sanders&#x27; office.

Alex Golden

Featured stories

Alice Walton plans Bentonville hospital and cancer center

Heartland Whole Health Institute tests ways to expand health care

State plans home health coverage for waitlisted Arkansans with disabilities

The Agenda: Fayetteville aquatic center location

Your weekend plans: Art exhibit, quilts, free festival