Next year, Baptist Health will celebrate 100 years of proudly serving Arkansans. Because of the vital support of partners, we have become Arkansas’ most comprehensive statewide health care organization with 11 hospitals and more. Although much has changed over the years, our purpose has remained the same – creating a healthier community through compassionate care and innovative services.
Baptist Health decided one of the most meaningful ways to celebrate our milestone is by strengthening our ability to serve our community beyond the walls of our medical centers. We determined that our gift to our beloved state would be to better serve rural and underserved Arkansans through a new Mobile Health Unit. Just like our purpose has remained the same, so has our need for philanthropic partners. And that’s why the Baptist Health Foundation is extremely grateful for our partnership with the Windgate Foundation for its generous $150,000 donation to support our efforts.
The Windgate Foundation is one of Arkansas’ largest foundations that exclusively gives money to other organizations, and we are blessed to be one of them. Windgate supports art education, contemporary craft and visual arts, and programs for disadvantaged children in our state. Windgate’s philanthropic goal aligned with our purpose to improve access to vulnerable populations throughout our state.
In 2021, our new Mobile Health Unit will start making 100 stops across the state, providing healthcare. Teresa Conner, System Director of Baptist Health Community Outreach, stated, “We are excited that the mobile health unit will allow us the opportunity to take healthcare out into the communities around the state where people need it the most – focusing on the underserved, uninsured, underinsured and underrepresented.”
The Mobile Health Unit will include a health educator, dietician, and registered nurse who will provide screenings, education, immunizations, COVID-19 prevention education and PPE, and more at no charge to those who face numerous barriers to health and wellness.
Thanks in large part to the Windgate Foundation, Baptist Health will celebrate our 100th Anniversary by fulfilling our vision to improve the health of Arkansas by changing the way healthcare is delivered. When philanthropy meets purpose, we have the power to improve the health of Arkansas.