HJAR Sep/Oct 2022

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS I  SEP / OCT 2022 37 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalAR.com Baptist Health Pediatric Clinic-ConwayWelcomes Ryan Southard, MD Ryan Southard, MD, recently joined the team at Baptist Health Pediatric Clinic-Conway. A native of Conyers, Georgia, Southard earned a medical degree from Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in Charleston. He com- pleted residency training at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences/Arkansas Chil- dren’s Hospital in Little Rock. Southard is board-certified in general pediat- rics by the American Board of Pediatrics and is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Baptist Health Pediatric Clinic-Conway is located at 625 United Drive, Suite 410, in the Medical Office Building directly behind Baptist Health Medical Center-Conway. The clinic is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Mercy to Invest $500M in New Cancer Center, More Clinics Mercy will invest $500 million with phase two’s projects including a cancer center, emergency department and isolation room expansion, addi- tional clinic locations, more outpatient care facil- ities, and nearly doubling the current number of primary care physicians and specialists. “Phase two advances Mercy’s long-standing commitment to a growing Northwest Arkansas community and how we better serve patients in the way they want to experience personalized healthcare, close to home,” said Ryan Gehrig, president of Mercy Arkansas. “This is also a con- tinuation of our dedication to low-cost, high-qual- ity care, a value we have provided Arkansas fam- ilies and businesses for decades.” Mercy’s $500 million investment brings its total commitment to Northwest Arkansas to almost $1 billion in less than a decade. “We have been planning to add a compre- hensive cancer center in Northwest Arkansas for many years,” said Scott Cooper, MD, president of Mercy Clinic Northwest Arkansas. “Everyone has been affected by cancer in some way, and we need more cancer care resources in the region. Mercy provides faith-based, compassionate care close to home so Northwest Arkansas patients have the support of family and friends they need when receiving care.” UAMS’ Elizabeth Riley, DNP, APRN, Chosen as Fellow of National League for Nursing Academy of Nursing Education Elizabeth Riley, DNP, APRN, clinical associate professor in the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Nursing, has been selected as a fellow of the National League for Nursing (NLN) Academy of Nursing Education. Riley is among 20 nurse educators who will be inducted into the academy during a Sept. 30 ceremony at the NLN Education Summit in Las Vegas. The Academy of Nursing Education has more than 300 members affiliated with teaching hospitals, academic institutions, and other health organizations across the country. Riley teaches courses covering pediatrics and the foundations of nursing for undergraduates in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at UAMS. She also serves as specialty coordinator for the master’s nurse educator track in the Col- lege of Nursing graduate program. n treatment of bacterial infections. Typically, vegetables are not treated by antibi- otics. However, there’s a growing possibility that fresh vegetables in the U.S. may be contaminated by either soil amendments or the water used to irrigate the crops containing antibiotic-resistant organisms. The possibility of vegetables being a carrier of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and resis- tance genes is a risk to public health. The researchers seek to determine the preva- lence of antibiotic resistance in retail vegetables and determine critical factors contributing to anti- biotic resistance transmission in the vegetable production and supply chains. Additionally, they’ll create fact sheets, videos, and workshops with stakeholders. They will also present all findings to the agriculture industry. The study will take place in Arkansas, Wiscon- sin, and Southern California. Richard Chastain, MD, Joins CHI St. Vincent Primary Care Clinic in Hot Springs CHI St. Vincent announced that Richard Chas- tain, MD, has joined the team of leading physi- cians at the CHI St. Vincent Primary Care Clinic in Hot Springs. Chastain is seeing patients at the clinic located at 1 Mercy Lane, Suite 506. After attending medical school at American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine in St. Maarten, Netherlands, Chastain completed a residency in family medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Northwest Regional Campus in Fayetteville. He is certified by the American Board of Family Medicine and previously served as a family medicine physician at the Baptist Health Family Clinic in Malvern. Richard Chastain, MD Ryan Southard, MD Elizabeth Riley, DNP, APRN