The research that helps drive health improvement and strong policy advancements in Arkansas doesn’t take place in a vacuum. It needs people committed to that work, the resources to fuel it, and the infrastructure to pull it all together and keep it moving forward. Just over 20 years ago, the Arkansas Biosciences Institute (ABI) was established as an agricultural and medical research consortium dedicated to improving the health of Arkansans. It is also one of the most prolific users of data in the Arkansas Healthcare Transparency Initiative, which ACHI administers on behalf of the Arkansas Insurance Department. To learn more about ABI and the roles data and research play in Arkansas, we’re joined on this episode of the Wonks at Work podcast by Dr. Robert “Bobby” McGehee, who recently retired after two decades at the institute’s helm.

Helping a community heal is hard work. That’s especially true when lives and families are disrupted by incarceration, dependency, the need for child welfare interventions, or other crises. Fortunately, there are people and organizations committed to making that healing possible. One of those groups is Restore Hope, an Arkansas-based organization that has developed a model to help families move from crisis to stability and onto careers using existing community resources. To learn about how it’s grown from serving a handful of Arkansas counties to locations across multiple states and parts of Canada, as well as what’s coming next, we’re joined on this episode of the Wonks at Work podcast by Paul Chapman, director of Restore Hope.

The Climb: Kira Kennedy by ACHI

Youth substance abuse and addiction remain serious concerns for parents and communities here in Arkansas and around the country. There is, however, some evidence suggesting that substance use behaviors among youth have been on the decline for the past decade. While that's good news, data show that a considerable number of young people are still impacted, and those who struggle with addiction face a long and challenging road ahead. To better understand the state of youth substance abuse and addiction in Arkansas, we’re joined on this episode of the Wonks at Work podcast by Dr. Stephanie Rose, who directs the Addiction Studies Program at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway.

Twenty-five years ago, with billions of dollars set to begin flowing to states as part of a long-term settlement agreement with U.S. tobacco companies, Arkansas bucked a trend. While many states were poised to commit those funds to a wide range of purposes, sometimes unrelated to health care entirely, communities and public health leaders across Arkansas, including those here at ACHI, rallied together to ensure that the state's allotment was used solely to fund much-needed health programs. The result was the Tobacco Settlement Proceeds Act of 2000, which established seven programs to help improve the health of Arkansans. To learn how these programs have impacted our state, we’re joined on this episode of the Wonks at Work podcast by Dr. John Ahlen, retired president of the Arkansas Science and Technology Authority, who served on the Arkansas Tobacco Settlement Commission from 2001 to 2013.

The growing need for mental health resources and support, both here in Arkansas and across the country, is complicated by the limited numbers of mental health professionals and other barriers to care, particularly in rural communities. When mental health resources are in short supply, friends, family members, and colleagues are often called upon to provide support. One program designed to equip them with the skills and confidence they need to be successful in those situations is Mental Health First Aid. To learn more about the program, we’re joined on this episode of the Wonks at Work podcast by Amanda Kuttenkuler, a senior programs officer with the Arkansas Rural Health Partnership and a Mental Health First Aid instructor.

Obesity is a serious and costly chronic disease that has been widely recognized as a public health epidemic. Although there are accessible, affordable, and straightforward tools to address it in individuals and broader communities, obesity remains a widespread public health threat that increases one’s risk for developing other conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some forms of cancer. Trust for America’s Health recently published its “State of Obesity 2025” report, which notes that Arkansas has the fifth-highest adult obesity rate in the nation. To learn more about the state of obesity in Arkansas and policy options to address it, we’re joined on this episode of the Wonks at Work podcast by Dr. Arlo Kahn, ACHI’s medical director and a professor in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences who has dedicated much of the last quarter century to addressing this issue.

A visit to the dentist is about more than clean teeth; it’s about whole health and wellness. Arkansas ranks poorly in oral health and has one of the lowest utilization rates for dental services in the country, but there are ongoing efforts to better understand and overcome barriers to care. In one of its latest initiatives, the Delta Dental of Arkansas Foundation partnered with the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute to gather new data and on-the-ground community perspectives on oral health in Arkansas. To learn more about that project and what they learned, we’re joined on this episode of the Wonks at Work podcast by Dr. Sharon Lanier, executive director of the Delta Dental of Arkansas Foundation.

Changes are on the way for community health workers in Arkansas. Earlier this year, the Arkansas General Assembly approved the Community Health Worker Act, which will establish standardized training and a statewide certification process for community health workers and will allow those certified to receive compensation for their services from Arkansas Medicaid and private insurers. Unlike healthcare workers who operate in a clinical setting, though, community health workers may not have the infrastructure in place to make this transition seamlessly. To learn how other states have navigated similar transitions, we’re joined by Colby Takeda, co-founder of Pear Suite, a hub for thousands of community health workers across the country.

Many roadway safety initiatives depend on the notion that safe driving is a learned behavior, but it is clear that many of us still have a lot to learn. In Arkansas, about 65 pedestrians die in roadway accidents annually, and our state has the fourth-highest roadway fatality rate in the country, nearly double the national rate. A new effort to educate the next generation of drivers about roadway safety, launched as a partnership between the Arkansas Department of Transportation and the Arkansas Department of Education, rolls out to middle school students statewide this school year. To learn more about the program, named Street Smart Arkansas, we’re joined by Ellen Coulter, media communications manager with the Department of Transportation.