HJAR May/Jun 2023

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS I  MAY / JUN 2023 39 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalAR.com strengthen that commitment. Our patients can rest assured that they will receive the highest level of urological care available, right here in their own community.” UAMS Receives $600K to Provide Post-Partum Contraceptive Devices An anonymous donor has provided $600,000 in second-year grant funding to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) to con- tinue providing long-acting reversible contracep- tion devices (LARCs) for uninsured post-partum patients in Little Rock and Fort Smith. The intrauterine devices and birth-control implants are inserted before a patient is dis- charged from a hospital after giving birth to reduce unintended pregnancies and increase birth spacing. Insertions can cost more than $3,000 and aren’t currently reimbursable by the state Medicaid program. The grant funds are provided as part of the Increasing Equity and Access to Contraception in Arkansas Initiative. Last year, UAMS received $175,000 in grant funds to supply the devices to 297 women at two birthing hospitals — UAMS and Baptist Health in Fort Smith. This year, a UAMS team led by Nir- vana Manning, MD, chair of the UAMS College of Medicine Department of Obstetrics and Gyne- cology, intends to provide them to 449 patients in those facilities as well as the UAMS West Fam- ily Medicine Residency Program in Fort Smith. “This grant has been instrumental in not only providing access to contraceptive coverage that is in line with national recommendations but also in providing data that we hope will support the expansion to all patients, regardless of insurance coverage,” Manning said. The grant funds provide the devices and the cost of insertion, as well as a focus on clinician training “to increase knowledge and create clin- ical champions within the hospital network,” according to UAMS’ application for the grant funds. It says a study in South Carolina showed the use of the devices “was associated with decreased odds of a subsequent short-interval pregnancy.” “In Arkansas, LARC devices and insertions are not part of the bundled Medicaid reimbursement rate in birthing room settings, which serves as a barrier to care,” the application states. Arkansas Minority Health Commission Announces Minority HealthWorkforce Diversity Scholarship Recipients The Arkansas Minority Health Commission has awarded $27,500 in scholarships to 29 minority students pursuing careers in healthcare and pub- lic health for the Spring 2023 school semester. “The Arkansas Minority Health Commission and its Board are proud of these students,” said Kenya Eddings, Arkansas Minority Health Commission executive director. “Their choice of a career of service through healthcare or public health will help close the minority workforce diversity gap.” Minority students enrolled in a program of study that leads to, or is creditable toward, a field in health can apply for the scholarship. Additional information about the scholarship can be found at www.arminorityhealth.com. BCMCChosen to Participate in DRCHSD Program On behalf of the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) and Delta Regional Authority (DRA), The National Rural Health Resource Cen- ter (The Center) announced Bradley County Med- ical Center has been selected to participate in the Delta Region Community Health Systems Development (DRCHSD) Program. Through the DRCHSD Program, the DRA and FORHP have partnered to support rural communities with an opportunity to receive intensive technical assistance (TA). The TA consists of various assessments, on-site consultations, workshops, and educational train- ings, which will be provided through a multi-year phased-in approach. The program is designed to increase the efficiency of the local healthcare delivery system practices by focusing on care coordination, social services integration, emer- gency medical services access, and workforce recruitment and retention. National Institutes of Health Awards $2.5M to Arkansas Children’s Research Institute Cancer Long- TermSide Effects Study The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded $2.5 million to Arkansas Children’s Research Institute (ACRI) to identify potential causes of long-term side effects of treatments for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common form of childhood cancer. Researcher Ellen van der Plas, PhD, who also serves as an associate professor of hematology/ oncology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Medicine, will lead the five-year study to pinpoint the moments dur- ing treatment that may result in long-term neu- rocognitive issues. ALL is the most common form of childhood can- cer, with approximately 3,000 new cases reported in children each year. Children under five years old are most at risk for this type of cancer. This aggressive cancer is fatal if untreated, but mod- ern chemotherapy treatments result in survival in over 90% of cases. Long-term side effects of treatments can lead to neurocognitive issues, such as diminished ability to concentrate, poor memory, shorter attention spans, and other functions governed by the fron- tal lobe. Treating ALL can take years, but many young patients are cured before entering kin- dergarten. However, the side effects can impact academic and vocational success for the rest of their lives. “Cancer casts such a long shadow,” said van der Plas. Her goal is for cancer survivors to “have the same quality of life as their peers. We want to make sure they’re not facing a lifelong burden.” Noninvasive neuroimaging scans will be used Allen Childers, PA-C