Blytheville native Ted “Teddy” Huffman and his wife Cheryl announced a $1.25 million gift that will support New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine at Arkansas State University’s efforts to create a new family medicine residency program in Mississippi County.
The Huffmans’ gift is the largest single donation NYITCOM at A-State has received since its founding in 2016. It will support the medical school’s joint effort with local healthcare partners to create additional physician training opportunities in rural Arkansas. The announcement was made at a special event held at Great River Medical Center (GRMC) in Blytheville, where the new program will be based.
NYITCOM at A-State will use a portion of the funds to remodel a clinic space at GRMC. The clinic will serve as the home of the family medicine residency program the medical school plans to open next year. The space will be named the “Cheryl and Teddy Huffman Family Medicine Residency Clinic” in recognition of their support.
A $3 million grant from Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders through the state’s Rural Health Transformation Program will help support startup costs, and separate grants the MCHS received this summer will fund infrastructure improvements at GRMC.