Johnelle Hunt Gives UAMS $250,000 To Support Northwest Regional Campus
| LITTLE ROCK — Johnelle Hunt, co-founder of J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc., pledged $250,000 to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) to establish the Hunt Family Fund for Excellence.
The fund will support activities of the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus, including funding a feasibility study for the development of operations on 48 acres of land in Rogers, Arkansas, near Interstate 49, which was acquired by UAMS in 2021.
“I am pleased with the impact that UAMS has had in Northwest Arkansas and am honored to help continue to support its mission here,” said Hunt. “Northwest Arkansas continues to grow, which means it needs a robust health care system to keep up with the demand for quality clinical care that is supported by excellent health care education and research. I believe UAMS’ presence in the area is integral in fulfilling the area’s need for first-class health care.”
Hunt and her family have generously invested in the well-being of Arkansans for decades, donating money to many areas in the state, including projects related to the University of Arkansas System. In addition to the Northwest Regional Campus, Hunt has supported other programs at UAMS, including the Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, of which she holds a seat on its advisory board, the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute and the Arkansas Center for Addictions Research, Education and Services (Arkansas CARES).
“For many years, Johnelle Hunt has been an amazing friend and partner of UAMS, helping to expand medicine in many areas of care throughout Arkansas,” said Cam Patterson, M.D., MBA, UAMS chancellor and CEO of UAMS Health. “The rapid growth of Northwest Arkansas has created challenges regarding the region’s health care needs, but with leaders like Mrs. Hunt, we are better able to overcome these barriers.”
Hunt hopes that the gift will inspire others to contribute to UAMS’ efforts to support health care programs in Northwest Arkansas.
“UAMS Northwest is committed to serving the community in the Northwest Arkansas region,” said Amy Wenger, MHSA, vice chancellor of the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus. “Mrs. Hunt’s generous donation will help us develop and plan additional infrastructure needed to support our research, education and clinical mission areas in Northwest Arkansas.”
Based in Lowell, Arkansas, J.B. Hunt was founded in 1961 by Hunt and her late husband Johnnie Bryan “J.B.” Hunt. Today it is a Fortune 500 company and an S&P 500 company that provides innovative supply chain solutions for a variety of customers throughout North America.
The Northwest Regional Campus includes more than 300 medical, pharmacy, nursing and health professions students, and 68 residents and fellows. The region has a $58 million operating budget and manages 15 facility locations in the region, with clinics that include internal and family medicine, a student-led clinic, orthopaedics and sports medicine, behavioral health, and physical, occupational and speech therapy.
UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a main campus in Little Rock; a Northwest Arkansas regional campus in Fayetteville; a statewide network of regional campuses; and eight institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Psychiatric Research Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, Translational Research Institute, Institute for Digital Health & Innovation and the Institute for Community Health Innovation. UAMS includes UAMS Health, a statewide health system that encompasses all of UAMS’ clinical enterprise. UAMS is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 3,275 students, 890 medical residents and fellows, and five dental residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 12,000 employees, including 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS, its regional campuses, Arkansas Children’s, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube or Instagram.###