NOMINATIONS SOUGHT FOR ACHI’S 2022 DR. TOM BRUCE ARKANSAS HEALTH IMPACT AWARD

LITTLE ROCK ― The Arkansas Center for Health Improvement is accepting nominations for the 2022 Dr. Tom Bruce Arkansas Health Impact Award.

The annual award honors an individual or individuals who embody Dr. Tom Bruce’s lifetime of service by demonstrating courageous leadership and having sustained records as catalysts for improving the health of all Arkansans, and who exemplify the core values of ACHI: trust, commitment, innovation, and initiative.

To submit a nomination, visit achi.net/tom-bruce-award-nomination. The deadline for submissions is May 9 at noon. All nominations will be reviewed by the ACHI Health Policy Board, which will select the recipient(s) to be honored later this year.

ACHI previously presented the award to Dr. Joseph H. Bates in 2016, Dr. Joycelyn Elders in 2017, Ben E. Owens Sr. and Dr. Kent Westbrook in 2018, Amy L. Rossi in 2019, Kathy Grisham and Dr. James Zini in 2020, and Dr. David L. Williams in 2021. Video profiles of past recipients are available at achi.net/arkansas-health-impact-award.

Dr. Tom Bruce was dean of the College of Medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences for a decade and a pioneer in the field of community health. He is remembered for improving and expanding the College of Medicine and addressing a shortage of physicians in the state’s rural areas through the formation of Area Health Education Centers, which bring physician trainees to less-populated areas of Arkansas. He and his wife, Dolores, also helped establish ACHI with a $100,000 seed donation.

ACHI is a nonpartisan, independent health policy center that serves as a catalyst for improving the health of all Arkansans through evidence-based research, public issue advocacy, and collaborative program development. The ACHI Health Policy Board, consisting of 21 voting members and two ex-officio members, is an independent, self-perpetuating board that guides ACHI’s involvement in and positions on specific policy matters.