Renamed Heartland Whole Health Institute in Bentonville announces coaching project

Heartland Whole Health Institute (HWHI) announced a name and strategy update Thursday (Dec. 14) and the launch of a new program.

Heartland Whole Health Institute, formerly Whole Health Institute, is a nonprofit founded in 2019 by Alice Walton. The institute works with health systems, communities, policymakers and employers to redesign care delivery and advocate for payment models to improve health and reduce costs.

Walton, billionaire philanthropist and Walmart heir, announced the formation of HWHI in January 2020 at the Northwest Arkansas Council’s winter meeting in Bentonville. It’s being built near the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and is planned to open in the fall of 2024.

“The new name and identity signals an updated vision and mission to bridge the gaps to better health, together,” Walton said in a news release. “Heartland Whole Health Institute will advocate, educate, and guide the implementation of innovative systems, with a refined focus on value-based care and whole health delivery adoption. The success of our work relies on the connections we build and the change we seek with like-minded community partners.”

According to the release, the initial phase of the whole health coaching project is a 12-month program funded by the institute that will offer free health coaching services to 350 patients with Community Clinic.

The program will be administered by Newtopia, a tech-enabled whole health platform creating sustainable habits that prevent, slow and reverse chronic disease.

Founded in 1989, Community Clinic offers primary, dental, behavioral and other healthcare at a reduced fee for those in or near poverty and accepts patients regardless of ability to pay. It is Northwest Arkansas’ largest safety-net healthcare provider.

“Community Clinic is proud to work alongside Heartland Whole Health Institute and Newtopia on this project to expand the extensive services offered as part of our primary care delivery,” said Judd Semingson, CEO of Community Clinic. “We all share in the value of patient-centered whole health care delivery. This project allows us to broaden our unique focus by working directly with our patients and communities to improve chronic health outcomes and enhance health and wellness.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), chronic disease is the leading cause of death and disability in the United States and a driver of the nation’s $4.1 trillion in annual healthcare costs. The CDC notes that 85% of chronic diseases are lifestyle or behavior-related.

“We are excited to be a catalyst for change and help people live healthy and meaningful lives with the launch of the Whole Health Coaching Project,” said Walter Harris, President of Heartland Whole Health Institute. “The project allows us to explore the impact that a preventative, whole-person intervention can have in health systems.”

Throughout the project, individuals who have moderate risk or a diagnosis of a chronic disease will work one-on-one with a coach to create sustainable healthy habits. The project aims to prevent or improve hypertension and diabetes outcomes, reduce the cost of care, and drive patient engagement. Health coaching services will launch with Community Clinic beginning in fall 2023, with additional groups added in 2024.

Project evaluation metrics include participant engagement, measured by participant satisfaction and enrollment scores; physical health, monitored through BMI changes, weight loss, blood pressure, and HbA1C; and well-being, which will be tracked by sleep, mood, anxiety, stress, and energy. The Institute will utilize deidentified data from the project to inform future programs that promote patient-centered care and whole health delivery.

“We’re deeply honored by the opportunity to collaborate with Heartland Whole Health Institute and the Northwest Arkansas community on this landmark primary prevention Project to help alleviate the burden of chronic disease,” said Jeff Ruby, founder and CEO of Newtopia. “Based on our evidence-based efficacy and proven, peer-reviewed results, we anticipate that our personalized habit change approach will have a positive, lasting impact on participants.”

HWHI has nine employees and is hiring for several open positions, including a chief communications officer, industry research analyst and whole health delivery director/chief medical officer.

HWHI is a standalone sister organization to the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine (AWSOM), which is also in development near Crystal Bridges in Bentonville. The medical school has approximately 40 employees.