HJAR Jan/Feb 2020

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS I  JAN / FEB 2020 31 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalAR.com result is that the brain does not get enough glu- cose, and excess glucose backs up in the blood, mimicking diabetes. “Our model indicated that, rather than diabe- tes, people with Alzheimer’s may have higher glu- cose in their blood simply because they are not transporting as much into the brain, and this may be responsible for the problems with the high blood sugar levels common to Alzheimer’s,” Barger said. Barger suggests further research could focus on finding ways to ensure the brain continues to get glucose by targeting GLUT1. “Multiple therapies that reduce brain levels of beta-amyloid have failed in Alzheimer’s treatment trials in recent years, perhaps because it is nearly impossible to remove the beta-amyloid fast enough, before it has kicked off its deadly chain reaction that causes the debilitating symptoms of Alzheimer’s,” Barger said. “Interfering with later events, further down the chain, may be the best hope for preventing dementia. If impaired glucose delivery is a key element of this chain reaction, it may be fruitful to reinforce the sugar bucket brigade.” Barger’s work coincided with emerging stud- ies by other scientists who have looked at dia- betes brain samples and found that the cogni- tive symptoms of diabetes are related to what is called “vascular dementia,” which results from damage to blood vessels. High blood pressure and arterial plaque are common complications of Type 2 diabetes. “The two diseases appear to be quite distinct,” Barger said. Barger’s abstract was one of about 50 to be highlighted at the Society for Neuroscience news conference out of more than 14,000 submitted. NYITCOM’s Baty Recognized as a Community Star in Conjunction with National Rural Health Day 2019 Tim Baty, a fourth-year medical student at New York Institute of Technology College of Osteo- pathic Medicine, has been named Arkansas’ Community Star for National Rural Health Day, the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH) recently announced. Baty is a native of Wynne and completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Cen- tral Arkansas. Having grown up in the small east Arkansas town of Widener - which boasts a pop- ulation of 300 residents whose median household income is $20,833 - Baty witnessed the devasta- tion that lack of access to care due to financial hardship causes. He recalls watching members of his community suffer and lose their lives - includ- ing his father, who died at age 53 from colon can- cer - because of their lack of access to healthcare or insurance. Those experiences have given him the passion for pursuing a career in primary care to serve those living in rural Arkansas. “It’s very humbling to be recognized, and I appreciate the Arkansas Office of Rural Health and Primary Care for nominating me,” Baty said. “I grew up an underserved, rural town and I want to return to serve that community. My goal is to make sure that unlike my experience, other fami- lies don’t lose their loved ones too soon.” According to NOSORH, Baty is the first medi- cal student to be named a Community Star since the program’s inception in 2015. On the third Thursday of November every year, NOSORH, the member organization for each of the 50 State Offices of Rural Health (SORH), leads National Rural Health Day (NRHD), an annual day of recognition that shines a light on those who serve the vital health needs of the estimated 57 million people living in rural America. SORHs, including the Arkansas Office of Rural Health and Primary Care, provide support to rural hospitals, clinics, and first responders in several ways including technical assistance, funding that supports workforce development, popula- tion health management, quality improvement initiatives, and more. Beginning in 2015, NOSORH invited its mem- bers to nominate hospital and emergency first responder teams, community health, and vol- unteer service heroes on the front lines of rural health who were making a positive impact on rural lives to be recognized at Community Stars. All 50 states are represented in the Community Stars program. Ribbon-cutting Ceremony Celebrates NewNorthwest Health Clinic in Springdale Northwest Physicians, a part of Northwest Health, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house to celebrate the opening of a new clinic, Northwest Family Medicine and Obstet- rics, located at 5501 Willow Creek Drive, Suite 104, in Springdale. The new Springdale clinic is staffed by Dr. Adam McCall, board-certified family medicine with obstetrics physician, and Heron Martin, APRN, FNP-BC, family medicine nurse practitioner, who will care for patients of all ages and offer a variety of primary care services, including minor proce- dures, general wellness care, chronic illness man- agement, and gynecology and obstetrics. McCall has been practicing at North Arkansas Regional Medical Center (NARMC) Family Med- icine Clinic in Harrison, Ark., for the past four years. McCall received his medical education at Uni- versity of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) in Little Rock and completed a family medi- cine residency at UAMS-AHEC-NW in Fayette- ville, Ark. He also completed a one-year general surgery internship at Mount Carmel Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. Heron Martin, APRN, FNP-BC, received a mas- ter of science from University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock. She completed a bachelor of science from University of Arkan- sas in Fayetteville, Ark., in 2010. Martin began her career as a registered nurse specializing in critical care at Northwest Medical Center - Springdale. Martin previously practiced medicine at North- west Health Urgent Care, but recently transi- tioned to the family medicine and obstetrics practice. n Tim Baty