HJAR Nov/Dec 2021

62 NOV / DEC 2021  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS Hospital Rounds In less than 20 years, it has grown to over 724,000 square feet, and we are unable to expand any fur- ther on our main campus. Purchasing this prop- erty adjacent to our campus will allowWashington Regional to plan for the next 20 years of growth by optimizing our medical center campus for higher acuity services and offering lower acuity services at our expanded campus at the Drake Farms prop- erty,” Shackelford said. Arkansas Children’s Research Institute Receives $11.5M fromNIH Scientists at Arkansas Children’s Research Insti- tute (ACRI) and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) will continue study- ing the impacts of childhood obesity after the National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded $11.5 million in renewed funding to the ACRI Center for Childhood Obesity Prevention. The NIH Center for Biomedical Research Excel- lence (COBRE) grant will fund further improve- ments to the center’s existing research infrastruc- ture and ensure development of more scientists with expertise in childhood obesity. Led by Judith Weber, PhD, RD, the multidisci- plinary Center for Childhood Obesity Prevention anchors the pediatric obesity program at Arkansas Children’s. Weber also serves as associate dean for research and a professor in the UAMS College of Nursing, as well as a professor in the Depart- ment of Pediatrics. “Our goal is a future where parents don’t have to worry about their child developing any of the countless complications children face because of obesity,” said Weber, who is also the project’s prin- cipal investigator. “This center continues to be a prime example of how research translates into interventions, creating a brighter future for kids right here in Arkansas and around the nation.” The Center for Childhood Obesity Preven- tion was established in 2016 with a $9.4 million NIH Center for Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) grant award to ACRI.  The grant is part of the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) Institutional Development Award (IDeA) program aimed at building research capacities in states that have historically had low levels of NIH funding by supporting basic, clinical and transla- tional research. COBRE programs focus on creating thriving research programs with some of the nation’s most promising young scientists, supporting basic, clin- ical and infrastructure improvements. Elaine Porter, APRN Joins Washington Regional Hospitalists Elaine Porter, APRN, recently joined Washing- ton Regional hospitalists, where she evaluates and treats hospitalized patients. Porter earned a Mas- ter of Science in Nursing from Vanderbilt Univer- sity, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Business from Hendrix College. She has more than 15 years of experience as an oncology registered nurse, more than five years as a nurse educator and five years’ experience as a nurse practitioner. Arkansas Children’s Raises LivingWage to $15 an Hour Arkansas Children’s has raised its living wage to $15 an hour, leaders announced. The decision invests in the Arkansas Children’s team and applies to any employee across the sys- tem, including those contracted through food ser- vice and environmental services. More than 500 teammembers will see their paychecks impacted by the change. “One way we continue investing in our people is by ensuring wages reflect the true costs of living so that our employees can earn what they need to support themselves and their families,” Senior Vice President and Chief People Officer Crystal Kohanke, MS, PHR, SHRM-CP, wrote in a memo to team members. A living wage is different from the minimum wage. The minimum wage is the base wage set by local, state and federal government. The cur- rent minimum wage in Arkansas is $11 per hour. A living wage represents the hourly amount a worker needs to afford basic living expenses and reflects the local living standards and needs for workers and their families. The change to $15 an hour was approved by Arkansas Children’s board of directors, who have prioritized ensuring all employees earn a living wage. In 2019, Arkansas Children’s raised its liv- ing wage from $10.10 per hour to $14 an hour. “We believe a living wage is essential. At Arkan- sas Children’s, we want every teammember to feel fully supported and fully prepared to help care for sick and injured children,” said Arkansas Chil- dren’s President and CEOMarcy Doderer, FACHE. Matthew Sharum, ENT Specialist, Joins Mercy Fort Smith Matthew Sharum, MD, recently joined Mercy Fort Smith as an ear, nose and throat specialist. He began seeing patients in July at Mercy Clinic Ear, Nose, and Throat – Tower West and at Mercy Judith Weber, PhD, RD Elaine Porter, APRN Matthew Sharum, MD