Arkansas Center for Health Improvement
In this episode of the Wonks at Work podcast, Laura Taylor with Arkansas Children’s and Nikki Clark with Legal Aid of Arkansas join us to discuss the Medical Legal Partnership, a program providing legal services to patients with low incomes and their families.
publications
Medicaid is the nation’s public health insurance program, providing coverage to approximately 1 in 4 Arkansans, many of whom have complex and costly needs for care. This updated overview of Medicaid in Arkansas looks at the program's history, financing structure, covered populations and benefits, and other key considerations.
Our interactive dashboard examining the primary care physician clinical workforce in Arkansas is intended to inform policymakers, healthcare leaders, and other stakeholders about the supply, characteristics, and distribution of this key component of the state's healthcare workforce. The dashboard has been updated to include years 2019 through 2023.
Our updated explainer looks at Medicare Advantage, a program that is seeing increasing enrollment in Arkansas but is also raising questions about its impacts.
Blog Posts
Arkansas announced Wednesday it has joined states and territories across the U.S. in a landmark $17.1 billion legal settlement with Meta, parent company of Facebook and Instagram, over claims that the company endangered teens through addictive algorithms on its social media platforms.
The percentage of kindergarten students with vaccine exemptions reached an all-time high in Arkansas and across the nation in the 2025-26 school year, according to newly released data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The August issue of Arkansas Money & Politics magazine features an interview with ACHI President and CEO Craig Wilson about a swiftly moving trend in Arkansas’s healthcare system: the closing of labor and delivery units.
Maternal and infant mortality rates in Arkansas are among the highest in the nation, but a wide range of efforts are underway to change that. The Healthy Birthing Journey Podcast is a nine-part series in which we explore the data and issues behind maternal and infant health in Arkansas by speaking with the people working to improve outcomes for moms and babies across our state.
Each episode focuses on one of nine points on the birthing journey, from pre-pregnancy through delivery and into the postpartum period, where ACHI analysts and researchers have identified opportunities for Arkansas to make lasting improvements.
In the ninth and final episode of the Healthy Birthing Journey Podcast, we explore well-child visits and other efforts to improve infant health outcomes during the first year of life.
Podcast by ACHI
The health and well-being of a child are dependent not only on the medical care they receive but also their social needs, such as safe and affordable housing and access to healthy food. That’s why Arkansas Children’s and Legal Aid of Arkansas established the Medical Legal Partnership, an alliance of care teams, attorneys, social workers, and others working together to help children and families overcome those challenges. That includes providing free legal services to Arkansas Children’s low-income patients and their families. To learn more about the Medical Legal Partnership in Arkansas, we’re joined on this episode of the Wonks at Work podcast by Laura Taylor, director of community impact at Arkansas Children’s, and Nikki Clark, the partnership’s supervising attorney at Legal Aid of Arkansas.
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
ACHI is dedicated to its vision of a healthier future, championing solutions that empower everyday decision makers to promote healthy choices in Arkansas communities, homes, and institutions. Subscribe for regular updates.
Healthy Choices
Ideas and strategies affecting lifestyles, decisions, and outcomes.
Healthy Communities
Culturally informed solutions and accessible opportunities.
Healthy systems
Quality care, equitable practices, and affordable methods.
Health Policy Board Policy Positions and Statements
ACHI’s Health Policy Board consists of up to 25 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.