UAMS announced a $1 million pledge from the Willard & Pat Walker Charitable Foundation that will support the new Radiation Oncology Center at the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute.
The $65 million center in Little Rock was built to accommodate three new linear accelerators that customize radiation delivery based on the type and stage of a patient’s cancer. It’s the only cancer center in Arkansas to offer Ethos Adaptive Therapy, a unique form of X-ray radiation that adapts to daily changes in a tumor’s shape and position over the course of treatment.
“We are humbled by the decades-long support of the Walker Foundation — a relationship that has helped elevate UAMS in becoming a first-class provider of care in our region,” Dr. Cam Patterson, chancellor of UAMS and CEO of UAMS Health, said in a news release. “Willard and Pat Walker’s generosity was inspiring, and, as seen with the Radiation Oncology Center, their legacy of philanthropy continues to benefit many Arkansans.”
The Walker Foundation, founded in 1986, supports charitable, religious, scientific, literary or educational endeavors in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Kansas. Willard Walker was an executive at Walmart when it went public, making a fortune as one of the company’s first shareholders.
“The growth of UAMS has been impressive, and the Walker Foundation is honored to support its mission to provide quality health care to all Arkansans,” said Mandy Macke, executive director of the foundation. “The opening of the Radiation Oncology Center is a truly extraordinary step in cancer treatment in Arkansas, and we are certain UAMS will continue to strive in offering new, cutting-edge cancer treatments.”
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