A nonpartisan, independent, health policy center that serves as a catalyst for improving the health of Arkansans.

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OUR INITIATIVES
 
 
 
 
HEALTH PROMOTION & DISEASE PREVENTION
 
Tobacco Prevention & Cessation
Combating Childhood & Adolescent Obesity
State Employee Health Risk Assessments & Insurance Premium Discounts
Vehicular Safety
 
 
HEALTH CARE FINANCING
 
ARHealthNetwork
State Coverage Institute
Governor's Roundtable on Health Care
Navigating the Landscape of Health Care (2005-2015)
 
 
ACCESS TO QUALITY CARE
 
 

State Employee Health Care Quality and Health Disparities
Health Information Security and Privacy Collaboration
 
 
HEALTH DATA TO SUPPORT ACTIVITIES
 
Data Resources
Informing the Legislative Process
Multiple State Integrated Data
   
  Health Data
 

Purpose: ACHI’s transformation of data into information for decision-making is a critical component of health policy and program development.

 

Data Resources

ACHI established a statewide BMI database to facilitate longitudinal analyses of childhood obesity. Recognizing the value of empirically based policy development, the Arkansas General Assembly passed Act 1035 of 2003, which established the Arkansas Health Data Initiative and improved access to public health databases across the state. This Act authorized ACHI to have access (with agency head approval) to any data the state owns or contracts for that could inform the policy dialogue. This accessibility has provided unique opportunities for the state to advance programmatic activities. Summary of Act 1035  For more information on Data Resources, click here.

 

Informing the Legislative Process

ACHI serves as a thoughtful, unbiased resource for the legislature and state government by providing health information. Staff members have presented health information to legislators, legislative committees, and various other policy-making state entities, both in the interim and during sessions of the Arkansas General Assembly. In a similar fashion, ACHI serves as a trusted resource for Arkansas’s Congressional delegation. With the support of its Health Policy Board, ACHI staff closely monitors legislation and provides analyses to the Board. The Board then decides at what level to engage in the legislative process.

 

Multi-State Integrated Database

ACHI developed and now maintains the Multi-State Integrated Database (MSID) to support work on health insurance expansion options and other data-driven health policy issues. The MSID facilitates real-time, decision-making, policy discussions by providing access to existing data on health insurance coverage, employment, demographic profiles, health care access, health risk behaviors, and economic profiles for businesses by state and county. Through federal grants, more than 30 states have access to this resource.  For more information on the MSID project, click here.