NATURAL WONDERS

Think tank

Arkansas Healthy Child Summit brings bright minds together for children’s causes

A June 28 luncheon held during the 2017 Arkansas Healthy Child Summit provided some alarming statistics along with the chicken and rice dinner that was served: Arkansas ranks between 45th and 46th out of the 50 states in terms of child well-being.

"I find that kind of embarrassing. I hope you find that embarrassing too," said Marcy Doderer, president and chief executive officer of Arkansas Children's Hospital.

Along with the bad news came some good: programs implemented through the Natural Wonders Partnership Council have improved the health and safety of Arkansas' youngest in areas such as oral health, childhood obesity and injury prevention. The council, a coalition of organizations that serve children statewide, celebrated its 10th anniversary at the luncheon.

Guest speaker was David Erickson, director of community development for the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. He said Arkansas was "ripe for innovation and breakthrough" in terms of bettering the lives of children.

The council's founders received special recognition during the event. They are Skip Rutherford, Scott Gordon, Dr. Jon Bates, Dr. Eduardo Ochoa, Amy Rossi, Rhonda Sanders and Dr. Gary Wheeler. Attendees included leaders and staff of the council's 10 founding organizations.

High Profile on 07/09/2017

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