HJAR Sep/Oct 2021

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS I  SEP / OCT 2021 61 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalAR.com The Wells are longtime supporters of Arkansas Children’s and are active members of the Log A Load For Kids of Arkansas chapter. Since the chap- ter began in 1991, local volunteer fundraisers have raised more than $10 million for Arkansas Chil- dren’s, investing largely in endowments, support- ing emergency services and advancing pediatric cardiovascular care. “Endowments are an important investment for any organization,” said Edwin Wells. “We are proud to give a gift that will exist in perpetuity and ensure the future of Arkansas Children’s.” The Melanie and Edwin Wells Strategic Endowment is designed to support small and large projects. In recent years, the CEO Strate- gic Initiatives Fund has fueled innovations and advanced key initiatives such as statewide clin- ics, research and clinical excellence at Arkan- sas Children’s. Since the Campaign for a Healthier Tomorrow began in 2015, four new endowed chairs have been established at Arkansas Children’s. Cur- rently, Arkansas Children’s celebrates 40 endowed chairs and 329 individually endowed funds with a market value of more than $443 million. CHI St. Vincent’s Megan Roberts Nationally Honored by CHATL CHI St. Vincent’s Megan Roberts has been named one of Catholic Health Association’s Tomorrow’s Leaders. Roberts, who serves as CHI St. Vincent’s director of orthopedics, was among 11 individuals across the country aged 40 and under who were recognized for their “intel- lect, strong work ethic, emotional intelligence, resourcefulness, and enthusiasm for strengthening Catholic healthcare.” “We couldn’t be more proud of Megan, who’s empathy, energy and commitment to compas- sionate care was evident from the first moment she joined CHI St. Vincent as an Administrative Fellow during graduate school,” said CHI St. Vincent CEO Chad Aduddell. “She’s dedicated to changing lives for the better and making the greatest impact possible. As proud of her as we are now, we’re even more excited to see her amaz- ing accomplishments still ahead.” From her first experience at a local hospital at age 16, Roberts knew that she didn’t simply want to work in healthcare but wanted to lead. She also realized that with the greatest challenges came the greatest opportunity to improve lives. She joined CHI St. Vincent in 2015. During the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Roberts developed the protocols for hospital reception desks to serve as health screening stations. After working on a health needs assessment for one Central Arkan- sas community, Roberts partnered with outside organizations to address obesity in low-income communities by funding local soccer clubs and walking paths. She is currently championing the move of joint replacement surgeries to an ambu- latory setting to ease the cost burden on patients and families. “I believe that everyone should have access to quality, compassionate and low-cost health- care,” said Roberts. “I also like problem-solving and improving processes. If there’s an opportu- nity that’s good for the patient or our community, I want to find a way to make it happen.” Roberts is also a member of CommonSpirit Health’s national Emerging Leader Program for both clinical and nonclinical leaders and is an alumnus of the Leadership Greater Little Rock program aimed at developing competent lead- ers for both present and future community needs. Roberts earned a graduate degree in healthcare administration from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. John Hutchison Named Director of Nursing for SystemClinics Washington Regional recently named John Hutchison, RN, as its new director of nursing for system clinics, where he is responsible for clini- cal oversight and training of clinic nursing staff throughout Washington Regional’s 55 clinic loca- tions. Hutchison has more than 20 years of nurs- ing experience and has served in various roles at Washington Regional, most recently as interim director of nursing for system clinics. He earned an associate of applied science in nursing from NorthWest Arkansas Community College. CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs Awarded Gold Seal of Approval for Advanced Total Hip and Total Knee Replacement Surgery CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs has once again earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for Advanced Total Hip and Total Knee Replacement Certification. “Our patients deserve not only the very best in care, but the best opportunity to enjoy their qual- ity of life despite knee, hip or other joint issues,” said CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs President Doug- las Ross, MD. “This recognition from The Joint Commission offers further affirmation that our orthopedic team is here to help them live a full and mobile life.” The certification, in collaboration with the Amer- ican Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, focuses on the pre-surgical orthopedic consultation to the intraoperative, hospitalization admission, rehabil- itation activities and follow-up visit with the ortho- pedic surgeon. “Advanced Total Hip and Knee Replacement Certification recognizes health care organiza- tions committed to fostering continuous qual- ity improvement in patient safety and quality of care,” says Mark Pelletier, RN, MS, chief operating officer, Accreditation and Certification Operations, John Hutchison, RN Megan Roberts