Arkansas Center for Health Improvement
Twenty-five years ago, Arkansas passed the Tobacco Settlement Proceeds Act to ensure the state’s portion of a settlement agreement with U.S. tobacco companies would help improve the health of Arkansans. In this episode of the Wonks at Work podcast, we speak with Dr. John Ahlen, who helped oversee the programs it funded while serving on the Arkansas Tobacco Settlement Commission.
publications
We have created an interactive dashboard to examine the general surgeon workforce in Arkansas for the years 2019 through 2022.
We have created an interactive dashboard to examine the obstetrics and gynecology physician workforce in Arkansas for the years 2019 through 2022.
This installment of our Data Watch series looks at trends in naloxone prescribing for Northwest Arkansas patients who have high-dose opioid prescriptions.
Blog Posts
As winter draws near, this is a good time to take precautions against respiratory illnesses. Cases of flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) activity are rising in the region, and Arkansas has experienced a higher number of cases of whooping cough this year than it has in over a decade.
The percentage of kindergarten students with vaccine exemptions reached an all-time high in Arkansas and across the nation in the 2024-25 school year.
Arkansas policymakers are working to strengthen the state’s healthcare workforce, but measuring success will require better data on the state’s healthcare professionals. In a guest column for Talk Business & Politics, ACHI President and CEO Craig Wilson suggests a way the state could overcome this challenge.
Podcast by ACHI
Twenty-five years ago, with billions of dollars set to begin flowing to states as part of a long-term settlement agreement with U.S. tobacco companies, Arkansas bucked a trend. While many states were poised to commit those funds to a wide range of purposes, sometimes unrelated to health care entirely, communities and public health leaders across Arkansas, including those here at ACHI, rallied together to ensure that the state’s allotment was used solely to fund much-needed health programs. The result was the Tobacco Settlement Proceeds Act of 2000, which established seven programs to help improve the health of Arkansans. To learn how these programs have impacted our state, we’re joined on this episode of the Wonks at Work podcast by Dr. John Ahlen, retired president of the Arkansas Science and Technology Authority, who served on the Arkansas Tobacco Settlement Commission from 2001 to 2013.
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Health Policy Board Policy Positions and Statements
ACHI’s Health Policy Board consists of 21 voting members (and two ex-officio members) from across the state who bring diverse perspectives and interests on health. This independent, self-perpetuating board identifies and establishes strategic priorities, provides direction and guidance, and serves as a forum for the exchange of ideas. The Health Policy Board guides ACHI’s involvement in and position on specific policy matters, and it issues position statements that articulate the health needs of Arkansans.