HJAR Nov/Dec 2023

42 NOV / DEC 2023 I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS POLICY COLUMN POLICY THIS YEAR theArkansas Center for Health Improvement is marking its 25th anniver- sary as a nonpartisan, independent health policy center with the mission to serve as a catalyst for improving the health of Arkan- sans. Operating at the intersection of re- search and policy, ACHI is in a unique posi- tion to integrate health data, transform that data into actionable information, and engage with decision makers to effect change. I am proud to have led the organization’s efforts for most of its existence, with guid- ance from an autonomous, self-perpetu- ating advisory board. In addition to grants and contracts awarded for specific projects, we receive support from four sponsoring organizations: Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, theArkansas Department of Health, and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Act 1220 of that year, one of the first laws in the nation to address childhood obesity. We also began issuing annual reports on stu- dents’obesity status, with analysis of trends. Over the past two decades, we have built the longest longitudinal BMI dataset in the na- tion, supporting programmatic and research funding across the state. One of our proudest accomplishments was our successful effort, with a coalition of stakeholders, to alert policymakers to the dangers of secondhand smoke. The result was the Clean Indoor AirAct of 2006, which continues to protect workers and the public from smoke in the workplace and public spaces. In the same year, Arkansas became the first state to pass laws protecting chil- dren from secondhand smoke in cars. ACHI and stakeholders also educated lawmakers about the need for a statewide ACHI at 25: Along with other Southern states, Arkan- sas faces health challenges that are rooted in a variety of factors, including unhealthy behaviors, access issues for rural popula- tions, poverty, and racial discrimination. To say we still have work to do is an understate- ment. But I’m proud to say that, with our partners and supporters, ACHI has a long list of accomplishments that have impacted Arkansans’ lives for the better. Among the highlights of the past 25 years was our involvement in the passage of the Tobacco Settlement Proceeds Act of 2000. Based on a framework in anACHI white pa- per, the law made Arkansas the only state to direct all of its settlement proceeds from tobacco companies to health programs. In 2003, we worked with partners to de- velop a methodology for measuring stu- dents’body mass indices, as required under A Quarter Century of Inspiring Healthy Acts