HJAR Sep/Oct 2020

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS I  SEP / OCT 2020 25 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalAR.com infected with the virus since it first came to the state, even if they did not become ill or have symptoms. “It will be critical for policymakers to esti- mate how many Arkansans have been previously infected as they consider reopening schools, allowing mass gatherings, and keeping work- places safe,” said UAMS Chancellor Cam Patter- son, MD, MBA. “As much as we may want to, we know we can’t test everyone with the antibody test right now, but we can design a program that will give us an estimate of how many Arkansans have had COVID-19,” said Laura James, MD, director of the UAMS Translational Research Institute. Seroprevalence is the proportion of people in a population whose blood serum tests positive for a particular disease. There are two study compo- nents: a laboratory component and a statewide epidemiology component. The lab component was initiated in early March by Josh Kennedy, MD, associate professor, Col- lege of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, along with Karl Boehme, PhD, and Craig For- rest, PhD, both associate professors in the Col- lege of Medicine, Department of Microbiology and Immunology. Boehme and Forrest developed and validated the high-accuracy antibody test using com- ponents provided by Florian Krammer, PhD, a microbiology colleague at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, and blood samples that Kennedy acquired. “This vital research would not have been pos- sible without their collaboration and original lab- oratory science,” said James, also associate vice chancellor for Clinical and Translational Research. The researchers’ achievement inspired lead- ers across UAMS and Arkansas Children’s Hos- pital to come together in support of the state- wide project. The epidemiology component of the study, led by the UAMS College of Public Health, will utilize the contact tracing call center to enroll study par- ticipants and collect health histories and blood samples from individuals who represent the entire state. It will provide the first results about the prevalence of asymptomatic Arkansans. The UAMS antibody test requires a small amount of blood, although more than a pin prick. Its validity testing shows it is not fooled by anti- bodies for other coronaviruses. Boehme said the antibody testing will serve as a springboard for researchers to answer deeper questions about COVID-19 in other studies, such as: • How many antibodies are present when tested? • How robust is the immune response? • How much antibody is required to provide immunity? • How long does immunity last? “For other coronaviruses, the antibody response may wane after a year or two,” Boehme said. “The duration of immunity has implications for a vaccine; will the vaccine be effective for life or will it be a yearly vaccine like with the flu?” NYITCOMat A-State Names Rounsaville Asst. Dean of Planning &Operations New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM) at Arkan- sas State University has hired Glen Rounsav- ille to serve as assistant dean of planning and operations. Rounsaville will oversee finance, human resources, and facilities for the Jonesboro cam- pus and will assist in establishing operations for the NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine Med- ical Clinic. Rounsaville has more than 20 years of experience in operations, budgetary responsi- bility, and clinical management. Prior to joining NYITCOM, Rounsaville spent 19 years at NEA Baptist Healthcare System, most recently as asso- ciate administrator. “Glen’s experience, not only in finance and operations but specifically in healthcare admin- istration, make him an extremely valuable addi- tion to our team,” Speights said. “We are thrilled to have him as a member of our senior leader- ship team.” Rounsaville’s experience also includes six years as NEA Baptist’s information, technology, oper- ations manager, and he spent 11 years as an operations manager with Walmart. Rounsaville is a native of northeast Arkansas and received an undergraduate degree from Arkansas State University. CHI St. Vincent, Arkansas Health Network Partner to Improve EmployeeWellness at Port of Little Rock The CHI St. Vincent Medical Group, in partner- ship with the Arkansas Health Network (AHN), has opened the CHI St. Vincent Business Health & Convenient Care clinic at the Port of Little Rock to deliver medical services for businesses, employ- ees, and their dependents. The partnership will provide access to CHI St. Vincent’s compassion- ate care in combination with AHN’s approach to healthcare that has demonstrated it is possible to improve employee wellness while reducing the growth of health plan costs to employers. “This partnership provides an incredible opportunity to highlight how AHN’s value-based approach to healthcare assists businesses and industries by controlling rising healthcare costs while simultaneously improving employee health,” said AHN President Bob Sarkar. “No company should have to sacrifice quality of care for their employees because of rising costs. We can show them how to manage those costs while building a happier, healthier workforce.” “We look forward to showing how our medi- cal group’s commitment to compassionate care and AHN’s evidence-based approach can help improve lives as well as healthcare experiences for those we’ll serve at the Port of Little Rock,” said Dr. David Foster, president of the CHI St. Vin- cent Medical Group. The CHI St. Vincent Business Health & Conve- nient Care clinic is located at 6800 Lindsey Road in Little Rock. The clinic offers a wide range of industrial healthcare services for employers, including pre-employment physicals; evaluation Glen Rounsaville