HJAR Nov/Dec 2023

62 NOV / DEC 2023  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS Hospital Rounds Baptist Health Helps Employees Receive More than $1.7 Million in Student Loan Forgiveness Baptist Health has helped team members receive more than $1.7 million in student loan for- giveness through Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF), thanks to the organization’s student loan benefit that kicked off last year. In addition to the amount already forgiven through PSLF, eligible Baptist Health employees have $49 million in federal student loans on track for eventual PSLF loan forgiveness through Proj- ect 120. “It is exciting to see this loan forgiveness pro- gram working so well for our employees,” said Cathy Dickinson, Baptist Health’s chief human resources officer. “Baptist Health employees invested in education for their career, and now we’re here to help ease the stress of paying for it.” “Together with Baptist Health, our goal is to get as many employees as possible with student loans on track for loan forgiveness through PSLF,” said Sarah Catherine Gutierrez, founder, partner, and CEO of Aptus Financial. With federal student loan payments set to resume Sept. 30 after a 3.5-year pause, employ- ees with loans are likely to experience increased financial stress. Committed to employees’ over- all wellbeing, including financial health, Baptist Health launched Project 120 in 2022, a new ben- efit that analyzes an employee’s loan situation, provides them with a personalized step-by-step action plan to get on track for PSLF, and offers support and nudges until the employee reaches the 120 payments needed for loan forgiveness. To administer this benefit, Baptist Health part- nered with Aptus Financial, a financial planning firm based in Little Rock with a team of national student loan experts. Arkansas Children’s Partners with Apple Seeds Nonprofit For 15 years, Apple Seeds has been on a mission to inspire healthy living among students through hands-on, garden-based nutrition and cooking education. Now, the child-focused nonprofit has announced its expansion into Central Arkansas, made possible through a partnership with Arkan- sas Children's. Apple Seeds, established in Northwest Arkansas, has been dedicated to furnishing nutri- tion education and facilitating access to fresh, wholesome foods for more than 100,000 students in the region. In Central Arkansas, Apple Seeds will be collab- orating with local schools to provide students at all K-5 grade levels with hands-on and engaging farm field trips and in-school culinary education hosted at Oak Forest Community Garden. This venture is in partnership with the University Dis- trict Development Corporation and the University of Arkansas Little Rock. But the expansion does not stop there. Apple Seeds is excited to introduce during-school cook- ing education curriculum at local elementary schools across Central Arkansas. This carefully crafted culinary curriculum will empower young minds with practical culinary skills, equipping them for a lifetime of wholesome eating habits. Apple Seeds Executive Director Mary Thomp- son expressed her excitement for this new chap- ter, stating, “We are thrilled to bring our gar- den-based nutrition and cooking education to Central Arkansas. By collaborating with Arkan- sas Children's and local partners, we are sowing the seeds of knowledge, fostering a love for nutri- tion, and cultivating a healthier, more empowered generation.” Arkansas Children's is providing financial sup- port for Apple Seeds over the next three years, recognizing the critical importance of nutrition education in combating diet-related diseases and food insecurity among children. The part- nership is one of several initiatives and nonprofits Arkansas Children’s supports statewide to address food insecurity directly where children live, learn, and play. “Arkansas Children’s is focused on supporting a variety of partnerships to advance health for chil- dren. We’ve seen first-hand how Apple Seeds helps children incorporate healthy living into their homes and communities,” said Marisha DiCarlo, vice president of community engagement, advo- cacy, and health for Arkansas Children’s. “We have been pleased to support their work in Northwest Arkansas for the past few years and are thrilled that this expansion will continue to build health- ier communities in a way that also brings children fun and joy.” UAMS, Baptist Health, Arkansas Children’s, Proton International Open State’s First Proton Center The Proton Center of Arkansas recently opened at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), becoming the first proton therapy cen- ter in Arkansas and only the 43rd in the nation to provide the most advanced cancer radiation treat- ment in the world. Proton therapy is a cutting-edge form of radia- tion that uses positively charged proton particles to destroy tumors, often in hard-to-reach areas, with greater precision and significantly less dam- age to healthy organs and tissues. Patients receiv- ing proton therapy have less severe and fewer side effects than conventional X-ray radiation, which improves their recovery time and quality of life. “What started more than three years ago with a shared vision to bring the most advanced can- cer therapy to Arkansas is finally here,” said UAMS Chancellor Cam Patterson, MD, MBA. Recognizing the burden on patients forced to travel out of state for the sought-after therapy, UAMS joined with Arkansas Children’s, Baptist Health, and Proton International to build the Pro- ton Center. “From opening the UAMS Baptist Health Can- cer Clinic and Infusion Center to Arkansas’ first proton center, this is another example of how strategic collaboration with other leading health- care providers can improve the health of Arkan- sans,” said Troy Wells, president and CEO of Bap- tist Health. “Proton International is focused on a singular mission — to bring proton therapy to more peo- ple who can benefit from it,” said Chris Chandler, director of Proton International. “The fact that we can now make this available to the residents of Arkansas and the surrounding areas is a mission fulfilled.” Proton therapy is used to treat a wide range of cancers in both children and adults, includ- ing brain, spine, breast, esophageal, head and neck, liver, lung, lymphomas, eye, pancreatic, and sarcomas. Proton therapy is the preferred treatment for children who face risks from unnecessary radia- tion exposure that adults do not, such as devel- opmental delays, hormone deficiencies, effects on bone growth, and potential long-term effects of