HJAR Jan/Feb 2021

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS I  JAN / FEB 2021 35 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalAR.com initiative,” said AHN President Bob Sarkar. “His expertise will be invaluable as we further develop our partnerships with employers, healthcare pro- viders and insurers to build a healthier and hap- pier workforce across the state.” AHN is the largest CIN in the state of Arkan- sas. The organization currently manages over 111,000 patients across the state and partners with a growing network of nearly 2,400 provid- ers, 26 skilled nursing facilities, and 16 hospitals in the state. Huse most recently served as director of opera- tions and business development for Community Health Systems in Northwest Arkansas. Study by UAMS Researchers Finds LowRisk of COVID-19 Infection fromHospital People who had recently been in the hospital were 24 times less likely to develop a COVID- 19 infection than the general population, Uni- versity of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) researchers found in a study that used data from 45 hospitals. The study focused on people who had been in the hospital for conditions not related to COVID- 19. Among the 101,533 patients, only 44 (0.043%) tested positive for COVID-19 within 14 days of discharge from the hospital. By comparison, the percentage of positive COVID-19 patients among the total U.S. population is 1.035%. Krishna Nalleballe, MD, is the lead author on the study and stroke neurologist and assistant professor in the Department of Neurology in the UAMS College of Medicine. He said hospitals across the nation have reported fewer people visiting the hospital and emergency rooms, even for illnesses like strokes and heart attacks where life-saving care is time-sensitive. “We suspect these trends are related to patient fears about contracting COVID-19 while in the hospital, so we wanted to take a closer look,” Nal- leballe said. “The results, which suggest low rates of infection, should be reassuring and encour- age patients to seek timely treatment of health- care problems during the COVID-19 pandemic to avoid unnecessary complications and impacts on quality of life.” Many hospitals, including UAMS, have enacted targeted policies to reduce the spread of COVID-19, including personal protective equip- ment for medical staff, universal masking for staff and patients, limiting or restricting visitors, and heightened cleaning protocols and ventilation standards. “These results suggest that such precaution- ary measures are working and creating an envi- ronment of relatively low risk in the hospital set- ting,” Nalleballe said. Specialists JoinMercy Clinic in Northwest Arkansas Two new specialists recently joined Mercy Clinic in Northwest Arkansas. Jeff Alliston, MD, has joined Mercy Clinic Urol- ogy – Pinnacle Hills. Alliston earned a Doctor of Medicine from University of Texas at Houston Medical School. He completed a residency in urology at University of Arkansas for Medical Sci- ences in Little Rock. Mercy Clinic Urology – Pinnacle Hills is located at 3333 Pinnacle Hills Parkway, Suite 300A, in Rogers. Raj Nangunoori, MD, has joined Mercy Clinic Neurosurgery – Physicians Plaza. Nangunoori earned a Doctor of Medicine from Drexel Uni- versity in Philadelphia. He completed a fellow- ship in functional neurosurgery and a residency in neurosurgery at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh. Nangunoori also gained a fellow- ship in minimally invasive and complex spine sur- gery and 3D navigation at Weill-Cornell Brain and Spine Center in New York. Nangunoori is a member of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons and the American Associ- ation of Neurological Surgeons, and serves on the association’s Information Technology Committee. Mercy Clinic Neurosurgery is located at 2708 S. Rife Medical Lane, Suite 140, in Rogers. Free Certified Nursing Assistant Training Offered to New Direct Care Employees at State Human Development Centers The State’s five Human Development Centers (HDCs) are now offering free certified nursing assistant (CNA) training and testing to all new hires in direct care positions as part of a larger effort to invest in the Division of Developmen- tal Disabilities Services (DDS) workforce and con- tinue providing high-quality care for residents. HDCs in Arkadelphia, Booneville, Conway, Jonesboro, and Warren serve Arkansans with sig- nificant developmental or intellectual delays or disabilities. Direct care staff assist residents with personal care and daily activities such as walk- ing, eating, and dressing; help clients get to and from appointments; and facilitate recreational activities. Earlier this year, DDS announced a restructuring of its direct care workforce, which included estab- lishing a new direct care department career lad- der, requiring direct care staff to obtain CNA cer- tification, and raising the starting salary for direct care positions. The on-site free CNA training is part of that restructuring. “We are always seeking ways to elevate the skills and capabilities of frontline workers,” said DDS Director Melissa Stone. “We want our team members to know they are valued and to have opportunities for self-improvement. This certi- fication builds their skill sets and opens doors Raj Nangunoori, MD Jeff Alliston, MD