Eight nurses from Baptist Health were recently honored by the Arkansas Center for Nursing (ACN).
Rhonda Finnie, DNP, MBA, APRN-CNP, AGACNP-BC, ANVP-BC, ASC-BC, director of advanced practice at Baptist Health, received an Arkansas Nursing Legacy Award from the ACN, while seven others were recognized as part of the organization’s annual “40 Nurse Leaders Under 40” list.
The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) hosted a topping out ceremony for the UAMS Health Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine Hospital.
Attendees were invited to sign a beam, which was then hoisted by crane onto the building and set in place by Nabholz Construction Company.
The 85,000-square-foot center will be located on about 30 acres in the four-mile stretch of I-49 on the city’s west side, commonly known as the Springdale Care Corridor.
The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith (UAFS) have entered into a formal Memorandum of Agreement designed to create accelerated pathways for UAFS graduates pursuing careers in healthcare.
The agreement covers 14 UAMS programs across four colleges and offers qualifying UAFS students guaranteed interviews, priority application review, or automatic admission.
The Arkansas Medical Society, a physician group advocating for healthcare improvements statewide, recently elected new officers who will help lead the organization in 2026 and 2027. Naveen Patil, MD, MHSA, MA, FACP, FIDSA, of Little Rock, has been named the 2026–2027 AMS president. Patil is the deputy state health officer and the medical director for Infectious Diseases for the Arkansas Department of Health.
The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) received $500,000 from Helen and Nick Lang, MD, and $500,000 from Kent C. Westbrook, MD, to the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, both in honor of Westbrook’s late wife, Jonnie Kay Westbrook.
The Langs gift establishes the Jonnie Westbrook Endowed Fund for Excellence in support of the Cancer Institute Auxiliary, and Westbrook’s gift establishes the Jonnie K. Westbrook Endowed Fund for Excellence in support of the highest priorities of the Cancer Institute, including the Auxiliary.
