Wallace Fowler
Wallace Fowler and his wife Jama of Jonesboro have donated $5 million to the NEA Baptist Charitable Foundation. Officials said the gift, announced Tuesday, is the largest in Baptist Memorial Health Care’s 101-year history.
The money will be used to create the Fowler Family Patient Assistance Endowment, a fund that will expand support services for the health care center’s cancer patients. NEA Baptist also said it will name its new cancer center the Fowler Family Center for Cancer Care.
“It is an honor to receive such a generous gift from the Fowler family for the new cancer center at NEA Baptist,” Brad Parsons, CEO and administrator of NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital, said. “The Fowlers have given to many great initiatives in our community and this is no different. This gift will help transform cancer care in northeast Arkansas for generations to come.”
The cancer center is part of NEA Baptist’s new medical campus at 4800 E. Johnson in Jonesboro. Officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the hospital, which opens next month, on Tuesday.
The campus, which sits on 80 acres, features a 550,000-SF hospital, 212,000 SF of clinic space and the 34,000-SF cancer center. NEA has said 500 jobs in health care were created as a result of the $400 million project.
The Fowler Family Center for Cancer Care puts all components of cancer care under one roof, including diagnostics and chemotherapy treatments. The center has 22 chemotherapy infusion suites, among other amenities.
“We look forward to working with NEA/Baptist and the cancer center to help provide additional support for patients and their families,” Wallace Fowler said.
Wallace Fowler is a business owner and banker who this year shold his privately-held bank company Liberty Bancshares to publicly traded Home BancShares Inc. of Conway. The $320.1 million deal, which closed in October, marked the largest in-state bank transaction in Arkansas history.
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