HJAR Jul/Aug 2019

38 JUL / AUG 2019  I  Healthcare Journal of ARKANSAS   Healthcare Briefs to do just that,” said Rajendram Rajnarayanan, PhD, assistant dean of research at NYITCOM at A-State. “We’re very grateful to the Society for Science & Public and we appreciate their support as we work to build partnerships with high school students in the Delta.” Through the Advocate Grant Program, edu- cators and scientists expand opportunities for underserved students who have the potential, yet lack the necessary resources, to succeed in STEM fields. Each advocate will mentor a cohort of three or more students, providing support as they com- plete science research projects and apply to com- pete in science research competitions. “It’s imperative that we make STEM education opportunities accessible to all students,” said Maya Ajmera, president and chief executive offi- cer of the Society for Science & the Public and publisher of Science News. “By nurturing young, talented minds, the Society’s Advocate Program is bolstering a pipeline of future scientific and engineering leaders.” Students who participate in science research competitions not only gain confidence, but also acquire important problem-solving, critical think- ing, collaboration, and effective communication skills. To date, more than 1,500 students who have participated in the Advocate Grant Program com- peted in nearly 2,400 science research competi- tions. Additionally, since the program’s launch in 2015, more than 2,000 students have worked with the Society’s Advocates. Ninety percent of those students are low-income and 70 percent are an underrepresented group. UAMS Addiction Training ProgramAwarded $2.1 Million The Addiction Research Training Program at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) was recently awarded $2.1 million from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to renew the program another five years. The award marks the second time the program has been renewed by NIDA, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), since it began at UAMS in 2009. The program has received a total of $6 million in NIH funding. The award provides sti- pends as well as tuition and training-related and travel expenses for eight to 12 trainees in the area of addiction research. The NIDA addiction research training program is one of only two NIH T32 awards in Arkansas, the other one housed within the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology in the UAMS Col- lege of Medicine. NIDA funds 55 similar T32 train- ing programs across the country. “The T32 is a wonderful career development tool designed to create well-trained scientists who are increasingly placed in leading academic faculty positions,” said Clint Kilts, PhD, director of the program since 2012, and a professor in the College of Medicine Department of Psychiatry. Kilts pointed to the 14 former program trainees who have gone on to become faculty members, including six at UAMS, as an example of the T32’s impact in creating the next generation of leaders in addiction science and medicine. “It’s the unique trainee outcomes that matters in the end,” said Kilts, also director of UAMS’ Brain Imaging Research Center. “The participants are very team oriented and that will help them build significant collaborative teams in the future capable of providing prevention and treatment solutions for the immense public health problem posed by addiction.” DHSDYS: NewTreatment Plan Process Kicks Off, Substance Abuse Beds NowAvailable Youth committed to the Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) Division of Youth Ser- vices (DYS) and their families will participate in a new approach to developing personalized treatment plans. These plans will be tailored to youths’ individual needs, with a focus on behav- ioral health, and will include an option for youth to get treatment in a group home specializing in substance misuse.  “Today marks a turning point for us because we are making good on our promise to cre- ate a more robust and personal treatment plan process for youth,” said DYS Director Michael Crump. “There’s still a lot of work to do, but these changes will provide a solid foundation for the work that comes next.” Previously, youth who were committed to DYS custody met with a case coordinator, the after- care provider, and a probation officer to develop treatment plans with the youth’s family on the phone. Now, a team made up of an education specialist, a nurse, a behavioral health clinician, an independent living specialist, and a behavior modification specialist will meet with the youth and his or her family. During that meeting, the team will review all assessments completed on a youth, and together, they will develop a treat- ment plan specific to that youth.  If the youth’s only need is for substance abuse treatment, the Division now has a contract with Quapaw House, Inc., to provide eight substance abuse treatment beds in a group-home setting. Youth can go directly from assessment to this pro- gram. DYS also will create an all-girls residential facility at the Harrisburg Juvenile Treatment Cen- ter by the end of May so more personalized ser- vices can be offered to that population.  These changes are part of a larger and ongoing effort announced late last year by DHS and the Governor to improve the juvenile justice system so that it better serves youth and their families.  As part of those efforts, the Division is under- going a complete restructuring that places heightened focus on developing individual- ized treatment and services, holding contrac- tors accountable, and ensuring judges have strong service options for diversion and after- care treatment. Under the new structure, Registered Nurse Cheryl Grappe is serving as the assistant direc- tor of treatment. She oversees admissions, treat- ment, and case management. Kara Benca will serve as assistant director over service delivery, compliance, and quality assurance; and Marq Golden will serve as the assistant director over diversion. The restructuring to create Benca’s and Golden’s units is ongoing and should be com- pleted in the next three months. As part of the restructuring, all job duties within the Division are changing.  In addition to the restructuring, the Division has been actively working on several new procure- ments for services. These include: * Special one-year contracts for community- based services for youth with existing commu- nity-based providers with an effective date of July 1. These contracts will serve as a bridge contract until the agency can complete a review of com- munity-based needs and issue a new request for proposals. Under the bridge contracts, all