HJAR Jul/Aug 2019

Healthcare Journal of ARKANSAS I  JUL / AUG 2019 29 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalAR.com — the cells located in the area of the kidneys that reabsorb salt, the kidney’s absorption of salt increases, thereby impairing the function of the kidneys to filter out excessive salt. Salt-sensitive high blood pressure is the result. With this current five-year NIH grant, Mu aims to provide, for the first time, evidence and mech- anisms of how these T cells interact with kidney cells. Specifically, he will identify the key mol- ecules involved in the interaction between T cells and kidney cells. He will define the signal- ing pathways involved when the process goes wrong and results in disordered immune activity. “Dr. Mu’s work has the potential to effect posi- tive change for millions of people,” said Nancy J. Rusch, PhD, professor and chair of the Depart- ment of Pharmacology and Toxicology. “Hyper- tension is a common — and frustrating — con- dition to treat, with major impacts on global population health. Dr. Mu’s breakthroughs in this area are invaluable, and we are gratified to see that the NIH recognizes the importance of sup- porting his vanguard research.” In his work, Mu has been aided by Yunmeng Liu, PhD, a postdoctoral research associate, and Sung Rhee, PhD, an associate professor, both in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxi- cology; and Steve Post, PhD, a professor in the Department of Pathology. Community Survey Shows Residents’ Health Concerns Results from the Northwest Arkansas Commu- nity Health Survey indicate residents in the four- county area are most concerned about health issues related to obesity, diabetes, and mental health. Respondents ranked these issues as more important than drug use, cancer, aging problems, and child abuse/neglect. Results show 33 percent of all respondents ranked obesity as the area’s No. 1 health concern. Mental health issues ranked second with 29 per- cent of all respondents, and diabetes was ranked third by 25 percent of respondents. Results were similar for respondents who identified as His- panic, while 72 percent of Pacific Islanders ranked diabetes the area’s top health concern. A group of 13 healthcare and public health agencies launched the survey last year to gather community input about the region’s greatest health-related needs. From June to October of 2018, surveyors collected 1,108 valid responses from residents in Benton, Carroll, Madison, and Washington counties. Surveyors targeted residents from Hispanic and Pacific Islander communities and those groups made up 19 percent and 6 percent of respon- dents, respectively. White residents represented 71 percent of those surveyed, while other races made up smaller percentages of the sample. “We encouraged all members of the commu- nity to complete the survey, but we also made an effort to reach people in our most underserved and vulnerable populations,” said Dr. Lisa Low, Mercy’s medical director of community health. “The survey results confirmed and validated the health needs our hospital has chosen to address in this next three-year Community Health Needs Assessment cycle: Access to care, Behavioral health, diabetes and obesity, and homelessness.” Mercy will use the results to better inform and direct its community health efforts over the next three years. Other partners will use the results for health needs assessments efforts, grant writing purposes, and to better understand and care for the populations they serve. Loy Bailey, administrator of the Benton County Health Unit, said the survey provides valuable information to all partners who participated. “This four-county Community Health Survey was the first such undertaking since 2004. Infor- mation gained from the survey will help guide local healthcare providers as they work to identify key issues and how they may be best addressed,” he said. Arkansas Department of Health Recognizes Hospitals for Stroke Care Performance The Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) for- mally recognized nine hospitals for excellence in stroke care performance at the Clinton Presi- dential Center. The ADH awards are based on hospital perfor- mance as documented in the Arkansas Stroke Registry between July of 2017 and June of 2018. They are given to hospitals for providing defect- free stroke care. Defect-free care is an aggre- gated metric based on the 10 American Heart Association/American Stroke Association (AHA/ ASA) Coverdell performance measures in the Get with the Guidelines®-Stroke Patient Man- agement Tool. These measures are benchmarked according to the standards of evidence-based stroke care guidelines to ensure stroke patients receive appropriate and timely care. “We are delighted to see the improvement in stroke care as demonstrated by these hospitals,” said Appathurai Balamurugan, MD, DrPH, state chronic disease director. “Through our work with the communities, EMS, and hospitals we hope to improve quality of stroke care among Arkansans with this devastating condition.” The Arkansas Stroke Registry (ASR) is the ADH stroke surveillance and quality improvement pro- gram. Oversight for the ASR is provided by the Acute Stroke Care Task Force (ASCTF). The ASR partners closely with the AHA/ASA, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), the ASCTF, and Arkan- sas Stroke Assistance through Virtual Emergency Support (AR SAVES) and the Mercy Telestroke sys- tem. The primary goal of the ASR is to perform stroke surveillance, monitor stroke care perfor- mance, and provide stroke education and qual- ity improvement assistance to improve stroke patient care and outcomes. Hospitals receiving stroke care performance awards for defect-free patient care include: Level 1 Award ( ≥ 90 percent Measure Adherence*) • Washington Regional Medical Center Level 2 Award ( ≥ 85 percent Measure Adherence) • St. Bernards Five Rivers Medical Center • Johnson Regional Medical Center Level 3 Award ( ≥ 80 percent Measure Adherence) • Baptist Health – Fort Smith • Baptist Health Medical Center – Little Rock • Methodist University Hospital • St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center • University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences • Wadley Regional Medical Center  *Measure adherence is the percentage of the time the Coverdell defect-free stroke care mea- sure was met during the July of 2017 through June of 2018 time period. Dr. Brad Baltz Joins CHI St. Vincent’s Growing Oncology Practice Leading Arkansas oncologist Dr. Brad Baltz has