Alice Walton reshaping healthcare

Our healthcare system is in shambles. No other country’s healthcare system can keep up with the skyrocketing rates of chronic diseases. In the U.S. alone, a whopping 90% of the $4.1 trillion spent on healthcare goes towards treating chronic and mental health conditions. Clearly, the current system isn’t working, and we need change and innovation urgently.

Two groundbreaking initiatives are being built in Bentonville, Arkansas, based on the science of how our daily behaviors and environment impact our health. These initiatives are the Heartland Whole Health Institute and the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine, founded by Alice Walton. Walton was inspired to focus on whole health because the U.S. spends the most on healthcare but doesn’t rank high in health outcomes compared to other developed countries.

“Heartland Whole Health Institute,” says Walton, “is dedicated to transforming healthcare by advocating, educating, and redesigning a system that supports physical, mental, emotional, and social well-being so people can live full and meaningful lives.”

Walter Harris, the president and CEO of the Institute, understands the frustration many Americans feel about the healthcare system. It’s often too expensive and complicated for patients to navigate. “Alice’s drive and heart to create meaningful and sustainable change — to get to the root of these flaws — is unmatched,” Harris says.

And guess what? Both the Institute and School will combine another of Walton’s lifelong passions: art. These facilities will be on the grounds of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, featuring 140 acres of hiking and biking trails, sculpture gardens, and, of course, art.
Walton built Crystal Bridges to bring a world-class museum to America’s heartland. My youngest daughter did her thesis on art and accessibility, so I’ve been thrilled to visit the museum many times and see the gift it’s brought to families in the region. Since opening its doors in 2011, the museum has been visited by over 12.2 million visitors, and all for free! And around 400,000 children have experienced the museum through the Willard and Pat Walker School Visit program, which provides programs for school groups at no cost to the schools.

Walton is also passionate about the connection between art, nature, and health. “I’ve personally seen how integrating the arts and nature into my own habits of caring for myself have had a positive impact on my overall health and well-being,” she says. “I believe I can help provide access to resources and experiences that can be transformative for individuals and communities.”

This led to founding a new School of Medicine with a new approach that considers physical, mental, social, and emotional well-being. The founding dean and CEO of the School of Medicine is Dr. Sharmila Makhija, an international expert on gynecologic cancer. Dr. Makhija is deeply committed to training the next generation of physicians.
And leaders who’ll make a difference in the health of communities in Arkansas and beyond. “Building a medical school from scratch with Alice Walton’s vision is like a dream come true,” says Dr. Makhija.

At a recent health conference, Walton shared that one of her new favorite books—and now one of mine too—is Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us, by Susan Magsamen, the executive director of the International Arts + Mind Lab Center for Applied Neuroaesthetics at Johns Hopkins, and Ivy Ross, the VP of Hardware Design at Google. The book explores the science of how art can be combined with traditional medicine to improve our physical and mental health, strengthen connections, and prevent disease.

There’s no shortage of bad news and grim headlines about the rising trend of chronic diseases. But what Walton is building is a source of great optimism. “By connecting mental, physical, social, and emotional health,” she says, “we can create a truly thriving system for our region and the world.”