Jonesboro, AR — (JonesboroRightNow.com) — June 13, 2025 — NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital recently unveiled the Chris and Jamie Fowler Family Physician Recruitment Fund. The fund will be used to attract and retain physicians in strategic specialties in Northeast Arkansas.
“The Chris and Jamie Fowler Family Physician Recruitment fund was really founded out of an idea and a challenge that Chris Fowler issued to us upon starting the Baptist University College of Medicine in Memphis,” said Sam Lynd, administrator and CEO of NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital. “He was touring the campus with some of our leaders and really issued a challenging thought to say that ‘it’s great that we’re going to increase the pipeline of physicians for the mid-south, but how do we keep them? How do we recruit them to Jonesboro and Northeast Arkansas and ensure they are invested in and serve in our community rather than leaving the area after their education or even after their training is completed?’”
Lynd continued, “Then, Chris stepped up, as he often does, and lead the way to say ‘I think we should create an endowment fund that allows us to do things a little bit differently and stand out’. So, with a major gift of $5.6 million, he started this fund as a way to help repay physician student loans in return for a commitment to be in our region for a period of time with the hopes that after they’ve been in our community for several years that they’ll be rooted, they’ll get to experience Jonesboro in the surrounding region in a positive way and continue to serve here for a long time to come.”
The initial goal was to raise $20 million and the fund has already grown to $10 million. That is thanks to the Fowler’s impressive $5.6 million donation to start the fund, along with donations from several members of the NEA Baptist Founders Circle including Haag Brown, First National Bank, Danny and Gail Ford, and Marian and Andy Peeler.
“Our entire senior leadership team and board have participated and so it’s been a really momentous few months of getting it off the ground but certainly we still have a little way to go, and we’re excited about the prospect of that,” Lynd stated.
Although some of the details are yet to be worked out, he said the amount of time that a physician will be expected to stay with the hospital for the repayment of their debt will most likely depend on the amount of loans the physician may have.
“We think that’s going to be an average of about seven years, which is also a good amount of time for a physician to establish their practice and to establish roots in the community,” he continued. “That’s a really good set up and a really attractive and unique way we can stand out, not just in the region, but across the state and across the larger United States. Physician recruitment is challenging everywhere in our country today.”
With the goal of enticing quality physicians, Lynd said, “This model will allow us to hopefully attract candidates that may otherwise be considering other states where they may even make more money. Bringing them into our region for seven years, we think gives us a good chance to get them here and keep them here. They’re not just joining a health system that’s investing in them, they’re joining a community that’s literally also investing in them as more folks in our community contribute to this fund and to the capabilities of this program.”
Lynd also noted that, to his knowledge, this was the first of program of its kind in Arkansas offering full medical school tuition reimbursement to physicians in strategic medical specialties that are critical for NEA Baptist and the Northeast Arkansas region.
“It’s not unusual to find loan repayment as an element of position recruitment,” explained Lynd. “Most health systems have that. But this is the first one of its kind that we’re aware of that really intends to step up in a bigger manner to take care of student tuition in full to take that off the backs of medical students that come out of school today with large amounts of debt. They’re going to be able to start their life and their practice without that burden being upon them. We do think it’s unique and we think it’s a unique opportunity that really you can only find right here.”
According to Lynd, if something comes up and the physician decides they are not able to stay, the repayment options will be similar to a lot of other repayment programs. “The seven years allows us to spread out the repayment period and so we would be able to prorate whatever we had paid off on their behalf while they’ve worked. A portion of that would be forgiven for their time of service obviously and the remainder we would work out with the individual to do what’s best for them as certainly things do come up with family and other ties,” he said. “Life happens so of course we will work with each individual to do what’s best for them ultimately.”
As for recruitment, Lynd said that’ll come in different ways, noting that students have begun contacting them to find out how to start the recruitment process. “We’re hearing from people already just this week with interest and so we can do that a number ways,” he explained. “Sometimes we begin recruiting in medical school; sometimes we begin recruiting when they’re in residency or fellowship. Then, of course, there are physicians practicing another areas beyond our region that are interested in relocating to our region. It could happen in any number of ways, but certainly folks that are interested should reach out to us and let us know. We will be happy to visit with them and get them in the pipeline to do our due diligence and see if there’s a good fit.”
For more information about the program, contact Lynd or position recruiter Lauren Lance at 870-936-0100.
“One thing I really want to emphasize is the appreciation of people in our community that have really stepped up with the understanding that, as we’re able to expand access to care in our region, it benefits everybody,” Lynd concluded. “Businesses and community partners have stepped up in a major way to invest, not just in this fund, but in our healthcare economy in our community. As Jonesboro and the surrounding region continues to grow partnerships are more important than ever. I couldn’t be more appreciative of folks that have been willing to invest in such a significant way.”