Murphy foundations pledge $1 million to UAMS campus in El Dorado

The Murphy Family Foundation and the Murphy USA Charitable Foundation have pledged $1 million over three years to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) to support the creation of a new regional campus in El Dorado.

The El Dorado campus is a joint effort by UAMS and the Medical Center of South Arkansas to increase medical access in south Arkansas by training primary care physicians to serve Union County. UAMS expects to open its campus in January 2022 and begin training family medicine residents by July 2023.

“I want to thank The Murphy Family Foundation and the Murphy USA Charitable Foundation for their commitment to an ongoing partnership to bring better health care to El Dorado,” said UAMS Chancellor Dr. Cam Patterson. “We are tremendously grateful for their investment in UAMS as we work to increase the quality of care in Union County.”

Madison Murphy, president of The Murphy Family Foundation and chairman of Murphy USA Board of Directors, said a residency program and access to health care is necessary for a successful region.

“We believe quality health care is a critical component in the fabric of any successful, vibrant, and viable community,” said Murphy. “I want to express our gratitude to Chancellor Cam Patterson, Vice Chancellor of Regional Campuses Amy Wenger and MCSA Chief Executive Officer Scott Street for their leadership, making this opportunity possible.”

The El Dorado campus will be UAMS’ ninth regional campus. The majority of family practice physicians in rural areas of the state are trained at one of UAMS’ eight regional campuses. Creating a regional campus in El Dorado will provide physicians and health care professionals in Union County and south Arkansas to create a sustainable educational and training pipeline and make it easier to maintain consistent levels of care.

Regional Campuses, originally called Area Health Education Centers (AHECs), began in 1973 through the efforts of then-Gov. Dale Bumpers, the Arkansas Legislature and UAMS to train medical residents and provide clinical care and health education services around the state. The other eight regional campuses located in Batesville, Fayetteville, Fort Smith, Helena-West Helena, Jonesboro, Magnolia, Pine Bluff and Texarkana.