HJAR Sep/Oct 2019

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS I  SEP / OCT 2019 61 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalAR.com “These students, with their emphasis on patient- centered care and focus on service to the under- served, will find a gracious and welcoming com- munity here in Southwest Arkansas,” said Dr. John Wayne Smith, director of the residency program at CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs. “The expertise and skills they are developing are also much needed here and in our surrounding communities where we know regular access to a primary care provider correlates highly with better health outcomes for patients.” The partnership between CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs and ARCOM will continue to grow with plans to host two residency programs by 2021 in both family practice and internal medicine. The programs are part of a broader effort to address an anticipated shortage of physicians nationwide by 2030, particularly those focused on primary care. CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs also has similar partnerships with nursing programs at Hender- son State University and National Park College. American Association of Critical-Care Nurses Recognizes CVICU at Arkansas Children’s Hospital with Silver-Level Beacon Award for Excellence The Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU) at Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH) has been recognized with a Silver-Level Beacon Award for Excellence by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), distinguishing the unit’s exceptional patient care and healthy work environments. The CVICU, which provides comprehensive sur- gical and intensive care for Arkansas children with heart disease and defects, becomes the second unit at ACH to receive this national designation. The AACN recognized the ACH Pediatric Inten- sive Care Unit (PICU), which cares for the state’s most critically ill and injured children, with a Sil- ver-Level Beacon Award in 2018. They are the only intensive care units in the state to be awarded this honor. The Beacon Award for Excellence recognizes unit caregivers who successfully improve patient outcomes and align practices with AACN’s six healthy work environment standards. Units that achieve this three-year, three-level award with a gold, silver, or bronze designation meet national criteria consistent with Magnet Recognition, the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, and the National Quality Healthcare Award. “This Silver-Level Beacon Award further dem- onstrates our commitment to creating a better today and healthier tomorrow for Arkansas chil- dren,” said Lee Anne Eddy, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, senior vice president and chief nursing officer for ACH. “We are proud of the dedication our CVICU team pours into creating excellent patient- and family-centered care.” The CVICU is a component of the Heart Center at ACH, with two cardiovascular operating rooms, two state-of-the-art cardiac catheterization labs, heart-lung bypass technology, and outpatient ser- vices that include regional clinics. The Heart Cen- ter at ACH provides comprehensive congenital cardiac care for a lifetime, from fetal echo inter- pretation before a baby is born to full support for adults with congenital heart disease. CHI St. Vincent Infirmary Appoints Dr. George Hutchison as Medical Director of Patient Access CHI St. Vincent Infirmary has promoted longtime Emergency Room Medical Director Dr. George “Hutch” Hutchison to medical director of patient access. In his new role, Hutchison will work to con- tinually improve patient experiences and the effi- ciency of care from entry to exit. “Hutch has played an instrumental part in creat- ing the stable emergency room environment that we have all come to appreciate,” said Dr. Gerry Jones, CHI St. Vincent vice president of medical affairs for Central Arkansas. “His passion for work- ing with patients and providing excellent care is evident to everyone that comes in contact with him.” Hutchison, who has been with CHI St. Vincent since 1998, will continue to share his leadership and experience serving patients in the emergency room, but will now focus specifically on improv- ing patient access. A graduate of the University of Texas South- western Medical School in Dallas, Hutchison com- pleted residences in internal medicine and emer- gency medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. He is certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine. Baptist Health-Fort Smith Now Offering Childbirth Classes Beginning in August, Baptist Health-Fort Smith will offer free childbirth education classes for area mothers to give them the confidence and support they need to enjoy their baby’s arrival. The classes are taught by childbirth educa- tors with a Lamaze-focused curriculum. Lamaze is an international childbirth education program which helps women learn to respond to pain dur- ing childbirth in a way that both increases comfort and facilitates labor. During the class, participants will learn about emotional and physical changes during preg- nancy, delivery, and postpartum. The instructors will discuss the natural birth process, birthing techniques and potential medical interventions like cesarean section. Other topics to be covered are skin-to-skin contact, mother-newborn bond- ing, and family bonding. All classes are held in the Baptist Health Class- room on the first floor of Baptist Health-Fort Smith. Evening and day sessions are available. To register, visit baptist-health.com or call Bap- tist Health HealthLine at (888) BAPTIST for more information. McMillon Family Gives $1 Million to Mercy Northwest Arkansas’ ‘Opening Doors’ Campaign Mercy will name the new heart unit in its soon- to-open seven-story tower in recognition of the McMillon family after a gift from Doug and Shel- ley McMillon. The McMillon’s gift of $1 million to Mercy’s Opening Doors campaign will support its $277 million expansion in Northwest Arkansas. George Hutchison, MD