Proposed statewide operating plan
Cover Arkansas with a network—not a convoy.
The proposed plan divides all 75 counties into four operating zones and eight route clusters. The boundaries are an ANCHOR planning design derived from county geography and USDA rurality data; they are not official state service regions. Final routing should be adjusted with drive-time, transit coverage, service demand, provider capacity, host readiness and community input.
Operating zones
Regional management with statewide standards.
Northwest + West
12 counties · 920,374 residents (2020)
7 nonmetro counties · 5 counties in RUCC 7–9
Northwest + River Valley / WestNorth + Northeast
20 counties · 531,317 residents (2020)
18 nonmetro counties · 13 counties in RUCC 7–9
North Central / Ozarks + NortheastCentral + Delta
21 counties · 1,152,144 residents (2020)
13 nonmetro counties · 7 counties in RUCC 7–9
Central + Delta / EastSouth + Southwest
22 counties · 407,689 residents (2020)
20 nonmetro counties · 17 counties in RUCC 7–9
South Central + Southwest / OuachitaRoute clusters
Eight recurring circuits cover all 75 counties.
County population values are 2020 Census populations carried in USDA's 2023 RUCC file. “Nonmetro” means RUCC 4–9. RUCC 7–9 is used here as an ANCHOR planning flag for the smaller/nonmetro end of the continuum—not as a federal eligibility rule.
Northwest
4 counties · 574,985 residents · 1 nonmetro · 0 RUCC 7–9
Benton, Washington, Carroll, MadisonRiver Valley / West
8 counties · 345,389 residents · 6 nonmetro · 5 RUCC 7–9
Crawford, Sebastian, Franklin, Logan, Scott, Johnson, Pope, YellNorth Central / Ozarks
8 counties · 163,745 residents · 8 nonmetro · 7 RUCC 7–9
Boone, Newton, Searcy, Marion, Baxter, Stone, Van Buren, CleburneNortheast
12 counties · 367,572 residents · 10 nonmetro · 6 RUCC 7–9
Clay, Greene, Craighead, Mississippi, Poinsett, Lawrence, Randolph, Sharp, Fulton, Izard, Independence, JacksonCentral
11 counties · 987,070 residents · 4 nonmetro · 1 RUCC 7–9
Pulaski, Saline, Faulkner, Lonoke, White, Perry, Conway, Prairie, Garland, Hot Spring, GrantDelta / East
10 counties · 165,074 residents · 9 nonmetro · 6 RUCC 7–9
Crittenden, Cross, St. Francis, Lee, Phillips, Monroe, Woodruff, Arkansas, Desha, ChicotSouth Central
10 counties · 207,633 residents · 10 nonmetro · 9 RUCC 7–9
Jefferson, Cleveland, Lincoln, Drew, Ashley, Bradley, Dallas, Calhoun, Ouachita, UnionSouthwest / Ouachita
12 counties · 200,056 residents · 10 nonmetro · 8 RUCC 7–9
Clark, Pike, Montgomery, Polk, Sevier, Howard, Hempstead, Nevada, Columbia, Lafayette, Little River, MillerInitial operating package
Start statewide without buying eight large clinic buses.
One attached to each operating zone
Navigator + peer/access specialist + mobile operations capacity, portable host-site kit, equipment delivery and field follow-up.
Shared between paired zones
Accessible high-roof units for private support, telehealth, equipment trials and recurring regional service days.
Statewide shared capability
Higher-capacity unit for specialist days, complex multi-service deployments, larger community events and field demonstrations.
Permanent regional deployable inventory
Turn an existing library, college, clinic, health unit or community room into a temporary ANCHOR access point.
Statewide transportation coordination
Maps ARDOT transit, Medicaid NET, specialized transportation and partner ride options; tracks where transportation still blocks access.
Telehealth + scheduled field days
Clinical lead, community paramedicine, AAC/SLP, OT/sensory, benefits/waiver, bilingual and other expertise rotates based on actual need.
Phasing
Build routes from evidence, then add vehicles where utilization proves the need.
- 0–6 months
Field standard + agreements
Finalize privacy, scope, safety, route data, host agreements, transportation directory, mobile equipment standards, workforce training, consent and referral/follow-up protocols. Build a verified host registry in all eight clusters.
- 7–18 months
Statewide route pilot
Launch four light field teams and shared Access Vans. Establish at least one predictable recurring host stop per cluster before adding one-off events. Measure travel burden, no-show/missed connection, handoff completion and service gaps.
- 19–36 months
Demand-shaped expansion
Add standard Access Van capacity in zones where private/telehealth/mobile-tech demand exceeds portable host-site capacity. Add partner contracts instead of duplicate staff where local services already exist.
- Year 4+
Permanent statewide network
Retain recurring routes, move or add stops based on utilization and access outcomes, and consider separate passenger mobility vehicles only where transportation data shows persistent unsolved gaps.
Route-selection score
Schedule visits from evidence, not politics or whoever asks loudest.
Travel + rurality
USDA RUCC, drive time to current access points, terrain and recurring travel burden.
Service-gap pressure
Provider shortage, waitlists, missing adult/child pathway, repeated referral failure.
Documented demand
Requests, referrals, missed appointments, partner reports and prior MAV utilization.
Transportation gap
Transit/NET availability, missed rides, inaccessible schedules or no viable trip option.
Host readiness
Accessible space, privacy, utilities, local outreach and reliable recurring availability.
Equity + continuity
Communities repeatedly missed by existing service patterns and ability to close follow-up.
Weights are a proposed starting model for public review. ANCHOR should publish the methodology, test it against real outcomes and revise it rather than hiding route decisions inside an administrative black box.
County dataset is included in this site.
data/arkansas-counties-rucc.json contains all 75 Arkansas counties, 2020 population, 2023 RUCC code/description, proposed route cluster, operating zone and MAV planning band.