The Arkansas Colleges of Health Education has announced a $32.3 million gift from a donor who wishes to remain anonymous to expand the Research Institute Health and Wellness Center.

The gift will support renovations to the center, a 318,000-square-foot facility that sits on sixty-three acres, as well as expanded programming. The initial phase of renovations is expected to be finished in December 2022, and the center will offer programs targeting the "art of well-being," including nutrition; culinary, visual, and applied arts; mindfulness; physical mobility; and active lifestyle. Once complete, the facility will include a community art gallery, art instruction for students and the community, an artist-in-residence program, applied arts education, a ceramics lab, and a performing arts theater. In addition, the center will include multiple cooking stations, a mobility lab, a space for clinical trials, and a biomedical research lab. Outside the facility, the campus also will include hiking and biking trails and a bicycle park for children.

Community partners for the center include Brightwater: A Center for the Study of Food, the Fort Smith Regional Arts Museum, the Center for Arts Education, and the Fort Smith School District's Peak Innovation Center.

According to ACHE, Arkansas has ranked in the bottom five states in the nation for health outcomes since 1990, including health disparities and chronic disease. "We have an amazing opportunity to promote healthy lifestyles through collaborative partnerships, civic engagement supporting health equity," said ACHE chief wellness officer Elizabeth McClain. "By making health a shared value, we can prioritize and promote the connections that create and sustain improved health outcomes resulting in communities that thrive."

(Photo credit: Heli Mistry)