Giving-Reynolds Institute on Aging - University of Arkansas Medical Sciences

Artist rendering of the expansion to the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging. Construction is expected to begin mid-2010.

As one of the top five states with the highest percentage of adult residents over 65, Arkansas faces the challenge of offering its citizens long, healthy, and independent lives.

The Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) is striving to meet that challenge, offering a holistic approach to health and wider access to geriatric care.

Philanthropy Plays Key Role in Success at Reynolds Institute
The Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging owes much of its success to the generosity of private philanthropy, including major grants from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation and generous support from private individuals. But, like other businesses, our needs continue to mount.

Private funds are critical to sustaining and expanding promising research into the causes of diseases that plaque aging adults. Philanthropic gifts also ensure that our satellite centers on aging, located strategically throughout the state, will grow and that new centers will be opened in underserved areas. This private support will allow us to lead the nation in identifying, evaluating and implementing the most effective programs of health maintenance, disease prevention, and patient education.

As state budgets are tightened and federal grants become increasingly more competitive, philanthropy will provide the margin of excellence for public institutions like UAMS. The Arkansas Aging Initiative, for example, has experienced reductions in its state-funded budget. The program’s main source of funding, Arkansas’ share of the national tobacco settlement, is always at risk, dependent on the will of the Legislature in any session. The recent reductions point to a need for private funds to assure the future operation of the centers.

How You Can Help
Your donations help establish stable funding for the Reynolds Institute — making certain that the healthcare needs of our community will always be met.

UAMS is currently involved in a comprehensive campaign to ensure a healthier future for Arkansans. A significant portion of Campaign Imagine, which has a goal of $325 million, will be designated to fund critical initiatives within the Reynolds Institute.

Please consider supporting the Reynolds Institute. Your gifts are important and appreciated. Make an online donation today.

Private gifts have a tremendous impact in five major endeavors of the Reynolds Institute:

Patient care
Education research
Geriatric medical education
Statewide outreach
Public health policy

Funding Opportunities

HouseCall Program Endowment
The HouseCall Program provides in-home physician visits to patients who are physically unable to come to the doctor’s office for primary care, but who do not require nursing home care. Patients within a 30-miles radius of Little Rock are eligible for this program. This program provides quality medical services to homebound individuals and coordinates important care among families, nursing agencies and home health services. With limited Medicare and insurance reimbursements, the program is not financially viable. A $500,000 endowment will generate operational monies for the program. Interest earned from an endowed program will ease the operational burden, and secure the future of this important in-home physician visit.

Arkansas Aging Initiative (AAI)
This statewide program now includes eight satellite centers on aging sites strategically positioned throughout the state. No other state in the country can claim a similar network of health care and education services for seniors. Every senior in Arkansas can reach quality health care in less than 60 minutes. All of this is made possible through partnerships with local hospitals and organizations focused on the needs of older adults. You may contribute to the AAI program or you may specify that your gift be used specifically for one of the eight sites at Springdale, Jonesboro, Texarkana, El Dorado, Pine Bluff, Fort Smith, West Memphis or Hot Springs.

Endowed Chair in Hospice and Palliative Care
Interest earned from this $1 million endowment will generate operational funding for this important program that offers end-of-life care. Under the direction of Dr. A. Reed Thompson, the program offers clinical care and also trains post-doctoral geriatric fellows in the specialty of Hospice and Palliative Care. Funding will help to expand the valuable care patients receive, as well as enhance the educational efforts for not only post-doctoral fellows, but also the general public.

Endowed Chair in Clinical Programs
Interest earned from this $1 million endowment will generate additional monies for clinical programs within the Thomas and Lyon Longevity Clinic. It will help support the mission set for by the department’s Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs.

Educational Program
Money raised for this effort will enhance the educational programs offered by the Reynolds Department of Geriatrics, including the recruitment of post-doctoral candidates who wish to become certified in the practice of Geriatrics.

Contact Us
To learn more about these and other funding opportunities in the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, please contact the following member of our development team:

Charlotte Brown, Director of Development
501-686-8401 or browncharlotteb@uams.edu