Each state in the Union has its own special health issues, and each county in the state has its own variations on those regional health issues. Bentonville, as one of the largest and most prosperous cities in Arkansas, has its own special circumstances when it comes to health. Naturally, healthcare in Bentonville also has special characteristics.
The 2020 Arkansas Department of Health report, “Arkansas’s Big Health Problems and How We Plan to Solve Them,” gives a lot of data about health issues in the state, and also provides some of the information we’ve shared below about health issues in Bentonville in particular.
Live longer in Bentonville
Benton County has Arkansas’s longest life expectancy at 79.7 years. This is almost ten years longer than the county with the shortest life expectancy. It’s several years longer than the national average.
Across Arkansas, the most common causes of death are heart disease, cancer, chronic lung disease, stroke, diabetes, and kidney disease. The rates of chronic diseases are unusually high in Arkansas.
However, rural Arkansans have higher rates of chronic diseases and lower rates of health literacy. The urban nature of Bentonville is one reason for the increased life expectancy.
A healthy environment
Bentonville’s water quality is quite a bit higher than the national average — a 77 out of 100 compared with the average 55, according to Best Places to Live. Air quality is less excellent, but is still good.
The Arkansas Dept. of Health report mentioned above gives the primary reasons for the prevalence of chronic disease in Arkansas: poor diet, tobacco use, and lack of exercise. They also make the point that it is easier to make good health decisions in some parts of the state than in others.
Bentonville has a wealth of sources of wholesome food, more than 28 miles of biking trails and many more walking trails, plus plenty of opportunities for active leisure.
The poverty rate in Bentonville is 7.6%, much lower than state or national averages, and the crime rate is also quite low — 36% lower than the national average. Unemployment is just over 2%, which is amazingly low. Most residents own their homes, and more than half are college educated. Poverty is associated with more health problems than affluence, so Bentonville’s comfortable circumstances are another plus for health in Bentonville.
Healthcare in Bentonville
Excellent healthcare is part of excellent health, and Bentonville is no exception. Bates Memorial Hospital, a 12-bed hospital on Main Street, was the first hospital in Benton County, opening its doors in 1942. With just a little more than 2,000 people, Bentonville was a farming community at the time. Bentonville now has more than 35,000 people, making it the tenth largest city in Arkansas.
Most counties in Arkansas are considered medically underserved and have shortages of medical professionals, but Bentonville is not in this category.
MANA has two clinics in Bentonville. The newest is MANA Family Medicine Southwest Bentonville on SW Regional Airport Blvd. Dr. Gregory Henson provides comprehensive care for men and women of all ages.
The Breast Center has had a Bentonville office for more than a decade, providing award-winning mammograms, screening and diagnostic breast health services for all of Benton County.