Our Healthy Alliance Media Release
(Northwest Arkansas, September 8, 2022) – Our Healthy Alliance – a newly formed, combined effort of community groups, Benton County, Northwest Arkansas Council, and the University of Arkansas School for Medical Sciences (UAMS) – today launched a public awareness campaign to connect local Marshallese and Hispanic communities to health care services, information, and resources.
Over the past year, these community groups came together to raise awareness of the effects of COVID-19 and the importance of vaccination, including running and promoting free vaccine clinics around the region. The collaboration around the community’s response to COVID-19 highlighted the need for continued cooperation, resources and outreach among the Hispanic and Marshallese communities in Northwest Arkansas. As part of the launch, Our Healthy Alliance created an online resource hub – healthynwa.org, saludnwa.org, and majol.healthynwa.org– designed to help residents find, pay for and use health care that is culturally and linguistically appropriate.
“Our Healthy Alliance will make care easier to access for the more than 12,000 Marshallese residents in Northwest Arkansas,” said Carlnis Jerry, MREC program director with Marshallese Educational Initiative. “Our community has unique health needs and having a go-to health resource to make it easier to navigate, access resources, be welcoming and have more trust within the health care system.”
“It can be hard to know where to start with health care, especially with language and cultural barriers,” added Jazmin Rivas, special programs coordinator of Community Clinic. “Our Healthy Alliance brings those options together in one place for community members, making it much easier to start their journey to better health.”
Through community outreach, media engagement and a public awareness campaign, Our Healthy Alliance seeks to unlock a lasting mutual respect between Northwest Arkansas leaders and the community members they serve.
“This group came together during a public health crisis to help residents disproportionately impacted by the pandemic,” said Ryan Cork, executive director of the Northwest Arkansas Council’s Health Care Transformation Division. “Our Healthy Alliance will have meaningful impact on the region’s health outcomes as we turn our attention from immediate crisis response to long-term health equity.”
“We focus on making sure community members have the resources to live healthy and high-quality lives,” said Julie Joyce, outreach design manager in the Office of Community Health and Research at the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus. “We are ecstatic that people will now have Our Healthy Alliance as another tool in their toolkit to help them navigate health care options.”
This project is funded through Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH), a national program administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to reduce racial and ethnic health disparities.
Through REACH, grantees plan and carry out local, culturally appropriate programs to address a wide range of health issues among Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian, American Indian, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander and Alaska Native persons.
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About Benton County: Benton County Government serves nearly 300,000 residents. The County is the second-most populated county in Arkansas and the healthiest county in the state. The County provides multiple services to residents including but not limited to public safety, road work, property assessments, tax collection, veteran services, and planning services. Benton County Government is committed to providing a healthy, safe, and successful environment for everyone.
About Northwest Arkansas Council: Founded in 1990 by Sam Walton, J.B. Hunt, Don Tyson and several other business leaders, the Northwest Arkansas Council serves as a regional convener for economic and community initiatives. The Council excels at identifying challenges and championing solutions to enhance the prosperity of the Northwest Arkansas region. Key initiatives include work to advance quality of life, attract talent, improve the region’s workforce, create job opportunities, upgrade infrastructure and keep up with the region’s impressive growth.
About UAMS (University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences) Community Health & Research: The Community Health and Research team at UAMS Northwest is leading the way to improve health outcomes for all. UAMS seeks to identify and understand health needs through research and programs and works to create an environment where every person has access to their best health.