Clinton Health Matters Initiative

Little Rock, Arkansas

The capital city of Little Rock is thriving cultural city, a top Arkansas vacation spot and one of America’s most affordable cities for families.

Little Rock has a rich history with Central High School’s place in the civil rights movement and the Clinton Presidential Center sits at the nexus of past and present. Located on the banks of Arkansas River the Center attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world to visit the William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum, the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service, and the Little Rock offices of the Clinton Foundation.

The Center plays an active role in the Little Rock community, hosting a number of events, lectures, and conferences throughout the year. The Center was instrumental in bringing more than $2.5 billion in economic development to the area, including renovations of the nearby historic River Market district.

Residents who want to run, walk or cycle to feel healthier and enjoy the outdoors enjoy the Clinton Presidential Center’s bucolic campus and the nearby Arkansas River Trail with its 15 miles of scenic riverfront and one of the longest pedestrian and bicycle bridges in America.

When it comes to health, Little Rock is at the center of progress on addressing and reducing chronic diseases amongst its residents. In April 2012 the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Innovation Center announced that the state of Arkansas was one of only seven geographic markets in the country chosen to participate in a major initiative to help physicians better care for patients with chronic diseases and complex illnesses.

This is critical to residents because while the city is affordable for families, it also has one of the lowest median household incomes in the country and Arkansas health insurance premiums have nearly doubled in ten years and the rate of uninsurance is nearly 40% among working-age Arkansans in some of our rural counties.