HJAR Sep/Oct 2019

60 SEP / OCT 2019  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS Hospital Rounds “Our Inpatient Rehab has excelled in provid- ing quality rehabilitative services to our patients and will now be able to continue this exceptional care in a new, high-tech hospital,” said Ryan Geh- rig, president of Mercy Hospital Fort Smith. “With the arrival of two new neurosurgeons in Drs. Ken and Kate Foxx in August, coupled with the con- tinued exceptional care provided by Dr. Arthur Johnson, Mercy Fort Smith will be positioned to provide a seamless continuum of care for all rehab patients.” “The staff of Mercy Rehab and I look forward to the opening of our new rehabilitation hospital, which will be larger, modern and fully equipped,” said Dr. Michael Chen, medical director of Mercy Rehab. “We will use it to better serve our commu- nity with the compassionate care and attention to service that Mercy is known for.” UAMS First in Arkansas to Join NIH StrokeNet, Will Make NewTreatments Available The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) recently became the first medical institu- tion in the state to join the National Institutes of Health StrokeNet, which will make new potential treatments available for patients with stroke and those at risk for stroke. NIH StrokeNet is made up of 25 regional centers across the United States and involves more than 200 hospitals in conducting small and large clini- cal trials and research studies to advance stroke treatment, stroke prevention, and recovery and rehabilitation following a stroke. “Underserved patients in Arkansas and the region will have improved access to research opportunities that might benefit them because UAMS is now a part of the StrokeNet,” said Krishna Nalleballe, MD, UAMS stroke neurologist. According to the Centers for Disease Con- trol and Prevention (CDC), Arkansas ranks sev- enth among states in deaths by stroke after many years in first place. Stroke also was the fifth lead- ing cause of death in Arkansas in 2017, claiming more than 1,600 lives that year. StrokeNet also serves as an educational plat- form for stroke physicians and clinical trial coor- dinators, which is important for ensuring Arkan- sas healthcare professionals are up to date on best practices and other changes in stroke care. Through its educational efforts, the network pro- vides a trainee program and webinars focused on stroke, research methods, and professional development. Conway Regional Among State’s Best Places toWork Conway Regional Health System has been named among more than 40 companies selected as one of the Best Places to Work in Arkansas. The recognition program was created by Arkan- sas Business and Best Companies Group as a way of identifying, recognizing, and honoring the best employers in Arkansas. The program also recog- nizes how they benefit the state’s economy, work- force, and businesses. This is the third year that Conway Regional has been selected for the honor. Conway Regional is one of only four healthcare systems in Arkan- sas to be chosen for the 2019 Arkansas Business award. Others are St. Bernard’s Health System in Jonesboro, CHI-St. Vincent Hot Springs, Baxter Regional Medical Center, and the Medical Cen- ter of South Arkansas. Arkansas Business will host a Best Places to Work banquet on Sept. 26 at Embassy Suites. Organizations making this year’s list of Best Places to Work stand out in their efforts to create an empowered and satisfied workforce. “Achieving this designation three years in a row is remarkable and reflects the passion and com- mitment of our teammembers,” said Matt Troup, Conway Regional’s President and CEO. “From a leadership standpoint, we are very proud of our team at Conway Regional. It is humbling to receive such an honor, knowing that a great deal of the assessment is based on feedback from our employees. Day in and day out the work in health- care can be grueling. Our team’s commitment to this work and to Conway Regional illustrates a call- ing that exists in healthcare to provide high qual- ity care to our patients and to serve our commu- nity. It is an honor to serve and lead our team at Conway Regional.” This is the second best places to work award that Conway Regional has won this year. In May, Conway Regional was one of two Arkansas orga- nizations named to the national Modern Health- care’s Best Places to Work in Healthcare. The other was St. Bernard’s Health System in Jonesboro. Companies from across the state entered the two-part survey process to determine the Best Places to Work in Arkansas. The first part con- sisted of evaluating each nominated company’s workplace policies, practices, philosophy, systems, and demographics, while the second consisted of an employee survey to measure the employee experience. Seventy-five percent of scoring for the sur- vey is based on employee responses. The sur- vey includes open-ended questions and demo- graphic questions. CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs Welcomes Inaugural Class of Medical Education Residents CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs welcomes 21 medi- cal students from the Arkansas College of Osteo- pathic Medicine (ARCOM) in Fort Smith who will become the hospital’s first graduate medical edu- cation (GME) residents in a new program to train future physicians of Southwest Arkansas. The new medical education residency program, the prod- uct of a partnership between CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs and ARCOM announced in 2018, will transform primary care in the region in a way that promotes overall health and quality of life as well as help mitigate an anticipated shortage of health- care professionals available to serve the state’s southwestern communities. “We’re excited to welcome these bright minds and dedicated medical students to the Hot Springs community to share our mission of provid- ing compassionate care throughout our region,” said CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs President Dr. Doug Ross. “We know these residents and our partners at ARCOM share that mission and this is an important moment for the future of Southwest Arkansas and the work to alleviate the health dis- parities that impact our communities.” The 21 medical students will spend the next two years participating in the residency program, learning from CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs’ award- winning healthcare professionals and providing expert care for members of the community. The creation of the residency program also offers the dual benefit of making it easier for ARCOM to recruit and retain highly qualified medical students attracted to roles in primary care and community- focused healthcare.