HJAR Sep/Oct 2022

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS I  SEP / OCT 2022 35 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalAR.com Regional Walker Heart Institute, where he pro- vides care for patients in the clinic and hospital setting. Marienga earned a Master of Science in Physi- cian Assistant Studies from Emory University and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Rust Col- lege. He completed a PA residency at the Atlanta VA Medical Center and previously served as a healthcare sergeant and combat medic in the United States Army. Whole Health School of Medicine Becomes Alice L. Walton School of Medicine Alice L. Walton School of Medicine announced the next steps in its development, including a new name reflecting its founder’s commitment and plans for a state-of-the-art medical educa- tion facility to be built in Bentonville, Arkansas. Founded in 2021 by philanthropist Alice Wal- ton, the medical school, formerly named Whole Health School of Medicine and Health Sciences, will offer a four-year, medical degree-granting program that integrates conventional medicine with holistic principles and self-care practices. The School of Medicine seeks to be a national medi- cal school with the goal of welcoming its inaugu- ral class in 2025, pending programmatic and insti- tutional accreditation. “We are honored to add Alice L. Walton to the School of Medicine’s name, highlighting our founder’s dedication to reimagining medi- cal education,” said Walter Harris, chief operat- ing officer for Alice L. Walton School of Medicine. “The school will remain grounded in whole health principles and teaching philosophies, poised to attract the best talent and create a pipeline for a new generation of whole health leaders.” Kyndal Murach, APRN, Joins Washington Regional Brain and Spine Surgery Clinic Kyndal Murach, APRN, recently joined the Washington Regional Brain and Spine Surgery Clinic, part of the Washington Regional J.B. Hunt Transport Services Neuroscience Institute, where she provides care for patients in the clinic and hospital setting. Murach earned a Doctor of Nursing Practice and a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of South Alabama and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Ken- tucky. She has more than three years’ experience as an acute care nurse practitioner and served five years as a registered nurse. Murach is a member of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. UAMSWelcomes First Class in Accelerated BSN Program A new class of nursing students are experienc- ing real-world scenarios in a new simulation cen- ter on the Fayetteville campus of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). All UAMS students in Northwest Arkansas will eventually use the center. UAMS’s new accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) is a 15-month program designed to quickly transition those outside the profession into nursing. It is open to applicants with a bach- elor’s or higher degree in any field and requires prerequisite grounding in health sciences such as anatomy, physiology, chemistry, and microbi- ology. The first class of 24 students started the program in June 2022 and will graduate in August 2023. The UAMS College of Nursing will continue to offer its traditional BSN program on the Lit- tle Rock campus. The 3,400-square-foot simulation center will provide a state-of-the-art training space for stu- dents in all of the UAMS education programs in Northwest Arkansas, according to Jay Gandy, PhD, associate provost of the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus. “The simulation center will be used to train the best and brightest future health care profession- als right here in Northwest Arkansas — who will then provide the highest quality of care for the patients they will serve,” Gandy said. “Beginners can gain confidence in new skills, and seasoned health care professionals can master the continu- ously growing array of new technologies.” The simulation center supplements classroom learning and clinical settings with the use of stan- dardized patients, patient simulator manikins, and other high-fidelity simulation that offers interac- tive, challenging learning experiences in a safe, nonthreatening environment for students. Northwest Medical Center – BentonvilleWound Care and Hyperbaric Center Receives Clinical Distinction Award Northwest Health announced Northwest Medi- cal Center – Bentonville Wound Care and Hyper- baric Center is a recipient of RestorixHealth’s 2021 Clinical Distinction Award. Recipients of this biannual award meet or exceed national qual- ity benchmarks over a set period of time. These benchmarks include wound healing rates and safety goals. RestorixHealth launched its clinical distinc- tion recognition program to recognize centers that have demonstrated success by meeting or exceeding patient safety goals, along with a 90% healing rate. NYITCOM’s Meurer Receives CAP Distinguished Medical Student Award Logan Meurer, a third-year medical student at New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine at Arkansas State Univer- sity (NYITCOM at A-State), has been honored with a Distinguished Medical Student Award from the College of American Pathologists (CAP). Meurer, who hails from Lake City, Arkansas, and earned an undergraduate degree from Arkan- sas State University, was one of 23 medical stu- dents from across the nation who received the award this year. Meurer is currently participating Logan Meurer received the Distinguished Medical Student Award from the College of American Pathologists.