Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/1495070
By Karen Rice West Washington County Guide According to the Northwest Arkansas Council, this area loses more than $950 million a year on people traveling out of the region for healthcare, especially specialty care. Philanthropist Alice L. Walton is taking health care services in Northwest Arkansas to the next level with the formation of the Whole Health Institute, highlighting a whole person approach to medicine. In March 2021, Walton announced plans for the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine. e school will offer a four- year, medical degree-granting program that integrates conventional medicine with holistic principles. Construction will begin in the spring of 2023, and the first class of students will be welcomed in the fall of 2025, pending accreditation. e School of Medicine will be located east of Crystal Bridges Museum in Bentonville, and will be connected via the trails to its sister organization, Whole Health Institute. e Alice Walton Foundation also recently announced a partnership with Cleveland Clinic and Washington Regional Medical Center to create a transformative health care system. ese plans all have a common goal of offering "a broader scope and scale of services to our region and beyond," according to Walton. HammrC: a new kind of manufacturing effort Establishing Northwest Arkansas as a top health care region presents additional business opportunities for the region. Citing research that shows a lack of medical manufacturing in the region, the Fayetteville Economic Authority Board, under the direction of Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce President Steve Clark, began strategizing about two years ago. e result was the formation of the Heartland Advanced Medical Manufacturing Regional Cluster (HAMMRC), a new breed of business venture. As senior policy advisor to the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce, Wayne Mays is tasked with launching and overseeing the program. "e goal of HAMMRC is to attract, develop and maintain a presence of professional health care manufacturers in the Northwest Arkansas and northeast Oklahoma region," said Mays. "e development of medical device and instrument manufacturing is consistent with the regional goal of becoming a healthcare destination." is concept of reshoring – transferring a business operation that was moved overseas back to its country of origin – sets the stage for success for HAMMRC. A staggering 70% of firms say they will likely reshore in the coming years. at includes Walmart, who plans to spend $350 billion over the next 10 years on items made, grown or assembled in the United States. Two States, ree Counties, Nine Communities and an Indigenous Nation e HAMMRC is a partnership of the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce and Tahlequah (Okla.) Regional Development Authority. "e focus is on small towns along the Highway 62 corridor, plus Elkins, all the way to Cherokee Nation Reservation in Tahlequah, Oklahoma," Mays explained. Prairie Grove, Lincoln and Farmington are among the cities included geographically in the HAMMRC. To join the cluster, HAMMRC member cities are required to make a nominal financial buy-in and pledge to identify at least 5 acres of "site ready" land and/or buildings available for sale or lease to market to manufacturing prospects. So far, Farmington, Stilwell, Okla., and Cherokee Nation have joined, and other cities have expressed interest. Investors are AEP/SWEPCO, Arvest Bank, Ozarks Electric/ Ozarks Go and the Washington County government. "Our joint goal with our members is to market these small communities through our website – www.hammrc.com – as ideal sites for small to medium manufacturers of medical devices," said Mays. "We stress their high quality of life, very good schools and good workforce availability." A "healthy" business model for West Washington County and beyond 2023 West Washington County Directory | 13