Arkansas also ranks second in the percentage of elderly residents who live in poverty. Older Arkansans in rural areas have limited access to health care, limited financial resources, poor health habits and overall poor health. Local doctors will receive additional training so they can better understand the special needs of our senior citizens. The plan also includes a research component for UAMS, the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and Arkansas State University at Jonesboro. The money invested in research will attract additional grants from the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and other sources.
Good teachers make for better doctors.
And better doctors will lead to a healthier Arkansas. I'm glad we decided in this session that we wouldn't sell ourselves short as a state. For too long, we've had an inferiority complex in Arkansas, and there's simply no reason for it. This year we've put away the attitude of 'we're just a small, poor state. The fact is we're already competing successfully.