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UAMS reports improved finances, urges state backing for NCI cancer center bid
Summary
UAMS Chancellor Cam Patterson told the Senate Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee that UAMS narrowed a projected 2018 deficit and is pursuing National Cancer Institute designation, seeking state and philanthropic support to expand access to clinical trials and cancer care across Arkansas.
Cam Patterson, chancellor of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, told the Senate Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee that UAMS has made significant financial progress and is seeking state support to pursue National Cancer Institute (NCI) designation.
Patterson said UAMS is the state’s only academic medical center and “70 percent of the practicing health care professionals in the state of Arkansas were educated at UAMS.” He told senators UAMS receives “over $90,000,000 a year in federal funding support” and reviewed the hospital’s recent financial turn: last year officials projected a more than $70 million loss for fiscal year 2018 but finished the year with a deficit of less than $15,000,000, and the fiscal 2019 budget approved by the board of trustees is balanced and now running ahead of budget.
Patterson framed pursuit of NCI designation as a clinical and economic priority. He said NCI‑designated centers expand local access to drugs and clinical trials and “if you or your family member are treated at an NCI designated cancer center, you are 25 percent more likely to survive.” He asked for legislative support, saying NCI designation would increase federal research funding, which he estimated would triple current federal grants for research and clinical support, and he described a private fundraising target of $30,000,000 this year to leverage federal resources.
The chancellor also raised workforce concerns: UAMS trains the majority of the state’s clinicians but has more medical student slots than residency positions. He said UAMS is working with Baptist Health to add at least 100 residency slots at Baptist Health North Little Rock and is pursuing about 200 additional residency slots in Northwest Arkansas; Patterson emphasized that physicians are more likely to practice within roughly 50 miles of their terminal training site and urged expanding residency capacity to retain graduates.
Patterson thanked state leaders for their support — citing Senator Irvin, Senator Hester, Senator Hendren, Governor Hutchinson and others — and said UAMS will file formal materials in support of the NCI application. The committee did not take formal action on the request during the session; Patterson invited questions and offered follow-up.
