Arkansas Mutual Aims to Address Rural Primary Care Shortage With Scholarship Award

LITTLE ROCK, Ark., September 27, 2018 (Newswire.com) - Zoe Weeks of Jonesboro has been awarded the $10,000 Arkansas Mutual Medical Student Award, a scholarship for third-year medical students at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) who want to practice primary care in rural Arkansas.

Weeks, a graduate of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and the University of Missouri-St. Louis, first pursued a career in teaching and decided to switch to medicine after spending a summer in the Delta and seeing the healthcare challenges there.

As an Arkansas company, we're thrilled to provide this scholarship to Zoe. Her passion and commitment regarding quality health care in rural Arkansas are exactly what Arkansas Mutual had in mind when we established this scholarship five years ago.

Corey Little, President of Arkansas Mutual Insurance Company

Weeks plans to return to northeast Arkansas to practice either family medicine or pediatrics, particularly in one of Poinsett, Craighead or Jackson counties, where her family is deeply connected: her father is a produce broker, her mother is an agricultural entomologist and her husband is involved in rural agriculture.

“I am very passionate about rural development, particularly in the Delta, and believe that healthcare access expansion is critical to the future success of our community,” Weeks said.

Corey Little, president of Arkansas Mutual Insurance Company, the only medical liability insurance provider headquartered in Arkansas, said the company continues to commit its resources to improve rural health care in the state.

“As an Arkansas company, we’re thrilled to provide this scholarship to Zoe,” Little said. “Her passion and commitment regarding quality health care in rural Arkansas are exactly what Arkansas Mutual had in mind when we established this scholarship five years ago.”

More than two-thirds of Arkansas’ counties include federally designated Primary Care Health Professional Shortage Areas. Primary care physician shortages are projected to increase substantially as the state’s population continues to age and require more medical care.

About Arkansas Mutual

Arkansas Mutual Insurance Company is a member of Constellation, a growing network of physician-owned mutual liability insurers and health service partners covering 17 states with a $389 million policyholder surplus. Arkansas Mutual boasts an A.M. Best excellent rating of “A,” a 99 percent customer retention rate and a 100 percent trial win rate. More than 1,000 Arkansas healthcare professionals benefit from exceptional coverage, in-state customer service and no-cost risk management services.

For questions, contact Laura McCabe at [email protected] or Corey Little at [email protected].

Source: Arkansas Mutual Insurance Company