HJAR Jan/Feb 2021

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS I  JAN / FEB 2021 65 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalAR.com Troup, president and CEO for Conway Regional. “This partnership will aid students seeking nurs- ing education within our community, giving them valuable clinical experience at Conway Regional, while addressing the critical nursing shortage fac- ing healthcare organizations across the country.” “UACCM is grateful to Conway Regional Health System for the wonderful partnership opportu- nity with our Nursing Department,” said Lisa Wil- lenburg, chancellor of UACCM. “This partnership affords practical nursing students with the oppor- tunity to defray costs of the nursing program and have guaranteed employment after gradua- tion with a regional leader in healthcare. This is a great example of working together to remove barriers students face while increasing partner- ships between education and healthcare for the benefit of all.” Students will also have the opportunity to work in pool float medical assistant positions at Conway Regional while completing the LPN program. This work opportunity will allow the nursing students to learn the health system’s electronic medical records (EMR) system; Conway Regional policies and procedures; the mission, vision, and values of Conway Regional; and become accustomed to the work culture all before they finish school. Arkansas Surgical Hospital Receives 2020 Press Ganey Guardian of Excellence Award for Patient Experience Arkansas Surgical Hospital has been awarded the Press Ganey Guardian of Excellence Award for Patient Experience. The nationally-recognized award honors top- performing healthcare organizations that have achieved the 95th percentile or above for each reporting period of the award year for patient experience. “The Guardian of Excellence Award represents an important recognition from the industry’s leader in measuring, understanding, and improv- ing the delivery of care,” said Brian Fowler, CEO of Arkansas Surgical Hospital. “As we continue to navigate this health crisis, we remain committed to listening to our patients and staff in an effort to provide exceptional care to the residents of Arkansas and surrounding states.” Conway Regional Medical Center Recognized for Stroke Care Conway Regional Medical Center was awarded the Site Excellence Award at the 2020 UAMS Institute for Digital Health & Innovation (IDHI) Stroke Program Conference (formerly known as the AR SAVES Conference) for going “above the beyond” in the care of stroke patients. The medical center is one of five hospitals to win a 2020 Site Excellence Award. Sites were cho- sen based on exceptional performance as a stroke ready hospital. Considerations included staff train- ing, exceeding programmatic expectations, and community outreach. The UAMS IDHI Stroke Program is a telemedi- cine program that links emergency room doctors from 54 sites across Arkansas to a stroke neurolo- gist via a live, two-way video, so that even patients in rural areas can receive care for stroke 24-hours a day. The program provides stroke patients the necessary time-sensitive care by a vascular neu- rologist required for good outcomes. Statistics show that Arkansans are at a higher risk of death from stroke than residents of most other states. Conway Regional Medical Center is proud to partner with the IDHI Stroke Program, to provide local communities with the life-saving treatment they need close to home. Mercy Co-workers Express Gratitude to Healthcare Neighbors A small group of Mercy co-workers visited neigh- boring healthcare facilities recently to express their gratitude for working together during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mercy Northwest Arkansas in Rogers, Northwest Health in Springdale and Bentonville, and Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville have collaborated closely since March to provide care for the community’s COVID-19 patients. This expression of gratitude fell on World Kindness Day, Nov. 13. Later that day, radio station KIX-104 hosted a Thankful 4 Heroes event at Mercy Hospital North- west Arkansas in Rogers. Thankful 4 Heroes events give the community a chance to rally together to show appreciation to all essential workers dur- ing the pandemic – ranging from janitorial staff, dietary staff, medical staff, firefighters, police offi- cers, and first responders. Personnel from the Rog- ers fire and police departments also attended. n