NEA Baptist donor-led fund to revolutionize physician recruitment in Northeast Arkansas
JONESBORO, Ark., June 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- NEA Baptist has launched a new campaign through the NEA Baptist Charitable Foundation to recruit specialty physicians to Northeast Arkansas.
The Chris and Jamie Fowler Family Physician Recruitment Fund is the first of its kind in Arkansas and offers full medical school tuition reimbursement to physicians in strategic medical specialties that are critical for the area. Arkansas philanthropists Chris and Jamie Fowler contributed $5.6 million to start the fund, which has grown to $10 million as a result of pledges from Haag Brown, First National Bank, Danny and Gail Ford, and Marian and Andy Peeler.
"The Chris and Jamie Fowler Family Physician Recruitment Fund is so important, especially now as the need for doctors across the country becomes greater and greater," said Chris Fowler. "Jamie and I felt the physician recruitment fund would give Northeast Arkansas and NEA Baptist a competitive edge in recruiting physicians, especially in specialty areas. If we can get these doctors to visit Jonesboro, they will fall in love with the community and put down roots while offering medical care that is greatly needed in our area."
Chris and Jamie Fowler are known philanthropists in Arkansas and have lent their support to multiple programs at NEA Baptist, including a mobile health unit. In addition to starting the Chris and Jamie Fowler Family Physician Recruitment Fund, the Fowlers are actively working to attract more donors to support the fund.
"Chris and Jamie's vision is only bested by their action," said Sam Lynd, administrator and CEO of NEA Baptist. "With their lead and the support of many investors within our community, NEA Baptist has a unique opportunity to make Northeast Arkansas stand out as a destination for medical professionals in a more meaningful way than ever before."
NEA Baptist has added 70 physicians to its medical staff since 2015 with 14 being graduates of the NEA Baptist Internal Medicine Residency Program. NEA Baptist Clinic has more than 500,000 visits a year with an increase expected as construction of a primary care clinic in Manila, Arkansas, begins in summer 2025.
The Association of American Medical Colleges predicts the United States will face a physician shortage of up to 86,000 physicians by 2036, with the greatest shortage occurring in the South and West. The Robert Graham Center has projected Arkansas primary care providers will experience an increase in demand because of aging, population growth and increased access to insurance.
NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital, NEA Baptist Clinic and NEA Baptist Fowler Family Center for Cancer Care became affiliated with Baptist Memorial Health Care in 2007. The 228-bed NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital offers cancer care, heart care through the Heart Center, labor and delivery services through the hospital's Women's Center, inpatient and outpatient services, emergency care and surgical services, such as weight loss surgery, neurology, respiratory care and pulmonary rehabilitation. More than 200 NEA Baptist Clinic providers practice in 40-plus specialties and offer a wealth of services from pediatrics to orthopedics. For more information about NEA Baptist, please call 870-936-1000 or visit www.baptistonline.org/locations/nea.
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SOURCE Baptist Memorial Health Care