The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences said Thursday that it reached its goal of raising $30 million in private funds for a National Cancer Institute designation.
UAMS said it hit that milestone after a $5 million donation from the Chris Fowler family of Jonesboro. Chris Fowler is the former president of Fowler Foods Inc. of Jonesboro.
UAMS also has received 8,700 donations from Arkansans and donors across the country to support the campaign for the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute.
“Reaching our fundraising goal is exciting news, and I know it will embolden UAMS to work harder in achieving our overall goal of NCI Designation, which will have a profound impact on UAMS and Arkansas,” Dr. Cam Patterson, UAMS chancellor and CEO of UAMS Health, said in a news release.
UAMS has been working for years toward NCI designation, which would help make important cancer treatments available locally so patients won’t have to leave Arkansas. It might bring other patients to the state for care, along with physicians, scientists and researchers seeking to participate in research and trials.
It also provides access to significant federal research funds.
The designation is obtained through a highly competitive assessment process, during which cancer centers must “demonstrate outstanding depth and breadth of high-quality cancer research and treatment,” UAMS said in a news release.
UAMS estimates that NCI designation would create about 1,500 jobs over five years.
There are 72 NCI-designated cancer centers in 36 states across the country. The closest to Arkansas are in Memphis, Dallas and Oklahoma City.
In 2019, the Arkansas Legislature passed Senate Bill 151, which created an account to deposit funds for NCI designation. State lawmakers then approved taxes for the designation. Since then, Arkansas has awarded UAMS $170 million toward NCI designation. UAMS also pledged to raise $30 million in private funds.
“I am overjoyed that UAMS has reached this important milestone towards achieving NCI Designation, and I am proud that I could play a role in making it happen,” Fowler said in the news release. “When I learned of my own cancer diagnosis, I was encouraged by some to seek treatment outside of Arkansas. However, after meeting with the specialists at the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, I was thoroughly convinced that they had the experience and resources to save my life.
“The Cancer Institute conducts phenomenal work, and I am passionate about elevating it through NCI Designation so that UAMS can better help people in Arkansas, the U.S., and I truly believe this, the world,” Fowler said.
Sign up for Daily E-news
