The ARcare Foundation believes all Arkansans deserve wellness throughout their lives. Our mission is to give them everything they need to achieve this. Ensuring wellness for all Arkansans starts with giving them a financial foundation. The ARcare Foundation thus makes economic development a central part of our health and wellness efforts. We offer a range of resources for people from all walks of life who seek to get a job, improve their skills, or earn higher incomes for their families. Through a combination of individual attention and broader community support, we spread economic opportunities far and wide.

Our efforts to promote economic development go hand in hand with our education initiatives. The foundation collects education donations from a range of sources, using them to fund scholarships and other resources that help people continue learning. We also provide community outreach programs that educate Arkansans about health, illness, and medication. Through these efforts, we arm the people of Arkansas with the information they need to take care of themselves while giving them a chance to learn new skills and advance their careers.

In addition to educating Arkansans about health and medical care, we provide this care directly. We administer cancer treatments, diabetes management, preventative care, and a range of other medical services across Arkansas. We focus on communities that have frequently lacked access to quality medical services, including underserved rural areas and homeless shelters in Little Rock. We recognize that transportation is often a barrier to getting good health care, which is why we organize van rides for people in remote areas who would otherwise have trouble reaching us. No matter where you are or what your needs may be, we’ll get you the care you require.

The ARcare Foundation offers a myriad of opportunities to volunteer in Arkansas. We also collect tax deductible donations and give you clear information about what these donations are going to. Whether you need health, education, economic support, or want to extend those benefits to others, contact the Foundation today.

Our Objectives

The ARcare Foundation’s mission is to promote wellness for all Arkansans, no matter where they are, who they are, or what opportunities they’ve had so far. Wellness takes many forms, and we strive to promote all of them. By developing a set of clear objectives, we leave no stone unturned in our efforts to provide community support throughout Arkansas. These objectives include:

• Education Services — Education is the bedrock of every form of wellness. The better one’s education, the easier it is to live a healthy life, get a job, and take proper care of your loved ones. We thus offer a host of services to promote education. There include reading lessons, early learning classes, adult education classes, before and after school events, scholarships, and a school-based health clinic. We also provide eye exams and learning disability assessments so that if there is any barrier to your child getting a good education, you can recognize and correct it.
• Economic Development — The more economic opportunities there are, the easier it is for you and your family to pay for care. We thus work with local businesses and chambers of commerce to promote economic growth and extend job opportunities to as many workers as possible. We also provide direct employment from our 50+ facilities throughout the state.
• Health & Medical Services — The ARcare Foundation offers cancer care, diabetes management, health education, fitness programs, and countless other services to help people understand and improve their health. From treating existing diseases to preventing future ones, we keep Arkansans of all ages as healthy as possible.
• Transportation — One of the greatest barriers to accessing medical care in rural Arkansas in transportation. We ensure that everyone can get the care they need by coordinating van services to and from the most remote communities.

Education

Education and health go hand in hand. The better educated local families and individuals are, the more they will know about how to eat well, exercise, and recognize the early signs that they are getting sick. Higher levels of education also make it easier to get a good job, providing the insurance and financial security necessary to access quality care. The ARcare Foundation thus encourages education as part of our broader efforts to promote community health in Arkansas.

The Foundation’s educational efforts start with extending learning opportunities to as many people as possible. Only 21 percent of Arkansans have a bachelor’s degree or more. This is due in large to the high cost of such degrees, a burden that falls particularly heavily on rural Arkansans, who tend to have lower incomes than those in urban and suburban areas.

To ease this financial burden, the ARcare Foundation has begun colleting education donations to use for scholarships. With our partnership with Arkansas State University, we are able to offer scholarships to pre-med students. We hope to expand our scholarship offering from here, so that as many Arkansans as possible can raise the money they need to go to school.

Besides money, Arkansans often struggle to find the time to get degrees. Parents in particular have trouble making time for learning when they also have to care for their children. To free up this time, the Foundation provides funding for the ARcare Augusta Community Center. The Center offers child care for parents who otherwise could not afford it. The parents are thus free to go back to school and finish their diploma or degree, secure in the knowledge that their children will be taken care of while they pursue new opportunities.

Economic Development

As a community health foundation with extensive experience improving local health, the ARcare Foundation has long recognized the relationship between health and economic development. The more financial security that people in our community have, the easier it is for them to eat well, exercise, and obtain all the medical care they need. We have thus promoted Arkansas’s development from the beginning, doing everything in our power to bring prosperity to our community.

Arkansas continues to struggle with economic development, and lags behind most of the country on key outcomes. Whereas the median American family in 2020 earned an income of roughly $68,000, the median Arkansan family only earned about $47,000.

In many ways, Arkansas’s economic development problem is a rural problem. While urban and suburban counties like Pulaski, Washington, and Benton all have average annual wages of $50,000 or more. But in remote parts of the state, like Fulton County in the north or Polk County in the west, average wages run as low as $35,000.

Low education levels are also a major problem in economic advancement, as a college education is very important in improving economic status.

The ARcare Foundation addresses these economic problems within our community through our various centers. Our Economic Development Center promotes local growth and helps connect people to jobs, while our Center for Education & Wellness provides scholarships and other benefits to encourage development and upward mobility. Through these efforts, we hope to eliminate any barriers between the people of Arkansas and health, prosperity, and happiness.

Wellness

What does wellness mean to you? For the ARcare Foundation, it means more than just curing people’s illnesses. Wellness is about helping people fully enjoy their lives while achieving the best possible health, both mentally and physically. Our mission is to offer this holistic health to all Arkansans, particularly those in rural communities who have not had access to wellness services.

As part of our holistic approach to wellness, the ARcare Foundation promotes:

• Behavioral Health Support — Not only is mental health just as important as physical health, but the two forms of health are linked. The better you take care of your mind, the easier it is to care for your body, and vice versa. We thus offer a range of psychiatric and community support solutions to help you deal with stress, anxiety, depression, and all other mental health threats.
• Disease Treatment — Between cancer care from our Steven F. Collier Health & Wellness Institute, our experiences treating chronic illnesses, and our vast array of medical resources, we can cure or treat virtually any major illness. Thus, no matter how sick you are, we can get you back to full health.
• Preventative Care — Besides treating existing illnesses, we prevent you from getting sick in the first place. Through regular checkups, dietary and exercise advice, and proactive treatments, our specialist minimize the chance that you will ever develop a serious illness.
• Economic Development — As mentioned, the ARcare Foundation also focuses on economic development. In doing so, we give people the financial security they need to focus on their health.

The ARcare Foundation believes that all Arkansans deserve the resources and support they need for maximal wellness. By extending these services to those in even the most remote and rural areas, we ensure that nothing stands in the way of your physical, mental, and financial wellbeing.

Transportation

When was the last time you went to the doctor? If you’re like many people in rural Arkansas, it’s been too long. No matter how healthy you think you are, it’s important to visit the doctor at least once a year. Only then can you hope to find signs of heart disease, diabetes, cancer and other dangerous but treatable chronic illnesses in time.

The good news is that 72 percent of Arkansans say they have visited a doctor within the past year. The bad news, however, is that 28 percent haven’t. What’s more, a full 9 percent say it’s been at least 5 years since they’ve seen a doctor, and just over one percent have never had a doctor’s visit. Altogether, this means that nearly have a million Arkansans aren’t getting the care they need to find diseases early and stay healthy.

Arkansans who fail to visit the doctor each year aren’t ignorant or irresponsible, but may not have access. This is a particularly serious problem in rural parts of the state, which are often dozens or even hundreds of miles from major hospitals and clinics.

What’s more, people who live in rural communities tend to have lower incomes and fewer resources compared to those in cities and suburbs, meaning they don’t have as much money or time to spend seeking care. The end result is that many rural Arkansans want to see the doctor but have no way of doing so.

The ARcare Foundation is committed to eliminating this and all other barriers to care. As part of our effort to promote community health in Arkansas, we fund transportation services that reach even the most remote communities. Our vans will pick up patients at a spot convenient to them, transport them to the doctor’s office, pharmacy, or other medical facility, and take them back. Thus no matter where you live in Arkansas, you’ll have no trouble getting a checkup, refilling your medication, or otherwise keeping yourself healthy.

Donations

Like most Arkansans, you’re likely eager to donate your money, time, and skills to the good of your community. But you also want to make sure your funds are going to a good cause before you donate. When you support the ARcare Foundation, your money contributes to:

• Setting up mobile care vans
• Promoting literacy and education to Arkansans of all ages
• Providing nutritious breakfast, lunch and snacks to children
• Organizing daycare for young children
• Funding scholarships for people who wish to study at Arkansas State University or the colleges of the AICU
• Working with local businesses and chambers of commerce to promote economic development
• Offering outreach programs to educate people about the importance of exercise, nutrition, and disease management
• Treating cancer, diabetes, and other diseases
• Improving tragedy assistance for the ARcare team and everyone they serve

If you would like to help support the ARcare Foundation’s cause, please fill out a donation form today by clicking the button below: