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The last three weeks have seen the state take a giant stride forward in improving its dismal health care rankings, and we couldn’t be more thrilled.
On June 30, the Lyon College School of Dental Medicine in Little Rock welcomed its first class — 80 students, with the majority of them from Arkansas or neighboring states. And on July 14, 48 students were welcomed as the first class of the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine in Bentonville.
Arkansas ranked No. 48 in the America’s Health Rankings 2024 annual report, an annual assessment of the nation’s health. The state also ranks low in dental health, with the Health Rankings report noting that Arkansas had the second-lowest rate of dental visits in the nation; just 55.6% of adult Arkansans reported that they visited a dentist or dental clinic in the past year.
Health care practitioners often practice in the area in which they received their education, so that’s a huge plus for the state. But there’s also the not inconsiderable bonus of the dollars that these students — and their professors and the school administrators — bring to their communities. Medical and dental schools are drivers of economic activity.
So welcome, students. We hope you’ll stick around.
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