HJAR Sep/Oct 2022

34 SEP / OCT 2022  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS   Healthcare Briefs Translational Research Center at Arkansas Children’s Research Institute Receives $11.5 Million The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded $11.5 million in Phase II funding to the Arkansas Children’s Research Institute (ACRI) based on the successes of the Center for Trans- lational Pediatric Research (CTPR), established five years ago. The center applies a cutting-edge systems biology approach to understand how dis- eases like cancer form in children’s developing bodies. Under the leadership of Alan Tackett, PhD, associate director for basic research at ACRI and director of the CTPR, the center is at the forefront of this type of research. “We believe that research performed in this center will not only generate scientific knowledge and new technologies for studying disease for- mation but also will impact future clinical care by leading to the discovery of new treatment strat- egies translatable to the pediatric population,” said Tackett, who is a professor of biochemistry and molecular biology in the University of Arkan- sas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Med- icine and the deputy director of the UAMS Win- throp P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute. The NIH established the Institutional Develop- ment Awards (IDeA) to create world-class envi- ronments for new and established researchers, especially in states with historically low levels of NIH funding. The receipt of Phase II funding indi- cates that NIH believes the CTPR is on a trajec- tory to become one of the nation’s premier sites for translational research impacting the pediatric population. A total of 15 years of funding is avail- able through this federal program. Schmieding Foundation Gives $500,000 to Support STEM-H Academy in Springdale The Schmieding Foundation, Inc., gifted $500,000 to Springdale’s Pathway Academy, which will be renamed the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Schmieding Foun- dation Pathways Academy of Springdale in rec- ognition of the nonprofit’s continued support for UAMS. The Pathways Academy program is a state- wide initiative managed by the UAMS Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DDEI) that works to prepare low-income K-12 students for educa- tional and career opportunities in science, tech- nology, engineering, mathematics, and health- care (STEM-H) disciplines. “We are excited to partner with UAMS to help provide students in Springdale the necessary resources to prepare them for careers in STEM- H” said Lance Taylor, president of Schmieding Foundation, Inc. “Through this program, we will not only increase education opportunities in the state, but we will also help grow the workforce to transfor OrthoArkansas’ Arkansas Specialty Surgery Center Earns The Joint Commission Gold Seal of Approval OrthoArkansas’ Arkansas Specialty Surgery Center (ASSC) in Little Rock has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for Ambula- tory Care Accreditation. Arkansas Launches Respite Care Program to Support Families Living with Dementia The Arkansas Legislative Council approved the creation of and funding for the Dementia Respite Care Pilot Program to support the 93,000+ Arkan- sans providing care for loved ones with Alzheim- er’s or other dementias. The program, the first of its kind in Arkansas, was established by the Alzheimer’s and Dementia Advisory Council, part of Act 391 of the 93rd General Assembly. In addition to authorizing the Respite Pro- gram, the council has worked to update Arkan- sas’s Alzheimer’s and Dementia Disease State Plan. Key entities involved in the council include the Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS), Alzheimer’s Association, and Alzheimer’s Arkansas. The Respite Program provides $500 respite grants to enable caregivers to take a break from caregiving — whether that’s time to focus on self- care, recharge, take care of other family mem- bers, or just get out of the house to do routine activities non-caregivers take for granted. Under the Respite Program, families can receive two grants during a calendar year (with at least six months between approved dates). To qualify, care recipients must live in Arkansas and have a primary or secondary diagnosis of Alzheimer’s, or other dementia. Additionally, the diagnosis must state that the patient requires daily assistance. To learn more about the Alzheimer’s and Dementia Respite Care Pilot Program and to apply for assistance, visit www.ALZark.org/grants , email grants@ALZark.org , or call (501) 224-0021, extension 210. Laura Lester, MD, Joins CHI St. Vincent Primary Care Clinic in Hot Springs Laura Lester, MD, has joined the team of lead- ing physicians at the CHI St. Vincent Primary Care Clinic in Hot Springs, which cares for adults and children, helps manage chronic conditions, and helps patients coordinate care between special- ists. Lester is seeing patients at the clinic, located at 1707 Airport Road. After attending medical school at Ross Univer- sity School of Medicine in Portsmouth, Dominica, Lester completed a residency in family medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sci- ences Northwest Regional Campus in Fayette- ville. She is certified by the American Board of Family Medicine and previously served as fam- ily medicine physician at Baptist Health Family Clinic in Malvern. ReaganMarienga, PA-C, JoinsWashington Regional Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery Clinic Reagan Marienga, PA-C, recently joined the Washington Regional Cardiovascular and Tho- racic Surgery Clinic, part of the Washington Laura Lester, MD