HJAR Nov/Dec 2023

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS I  NOV / DEC 2023 63 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalAR.com secondary cancers in exposed tissues. “This is an exciting day for advancing child health in Arkansas,” said Marcy Doderer, FACHE, president and CEO of Arkansas Children’s. “Through this partnership, the children we serve will now have access to this specialized treatment close to home.” UAMS is the only provider of radiation therapy for children in Arkansas. The Proton Center is part of the new $65 million UAMS Radiation Oncology Center, which opened in July at 3900 W. Capitol Ave. in Little Rock in a building adjacent to the UAMS Winthrop P. Rock- efeller Cancer Institute. The Proton Center occu- pies 9,000 square feet on the second floor of the three-story center and includes the proton treat- ment room, a CT room to prepare patients for proton therapy, a high-dose radiation (HDR) room, gowning rooms, recovery rooms, an anesthesia room, eight exam rooms, a large family area for pediatric patients, and a physician work room. UAMS broke ground on the 58,000-square-foot Radiation Oncology Center in May 2021, primar- ily to accommodate the proton center. The 55-ton cyclotron, a type of particle accelerator that pow- ers the proton beam, made a cross-country jour- ney by land and sea to Little Rock. Starting in Bel- gium, the massive equipment that included the 75-ton gantry, traveled by sea for five weeks, then by police escort on six semi-trailer trucks from the Port of Houston to Little Rock. The proton treatment room features a unique ambient experience that allows patients to choose a room theme and color that is digitally displayed on the walls and ceiling. This is especially helpful in reducing anxiety in children during treatment. The center is equipped to deliver the therapy to as many as 40 patients per day. Proton treatments typically take 30 minutes. CHI St. Vincent North Earns National Recognition for Stroke Treatment Protocol CHI St. Vincent North, the home of the CHI St. Vincent Arkansas Neuroscience Institute, has received the American Heart Association’s Gold Plus Get With The Guidelines-Stroke qual- ity achievement award for the hospital’s commit- ment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines. “When it comes to a stroke, time from onset of symptoms to treatment is critical for patient out- comes,” said Shawn Barnett, president of CHI St. Vincent North. “CHI St. Vincent is proud to part- ner with the Get With The Guidelines program, as it allows our providers to implement proven knowledge and guidelines for stroke patients when every minute counts.” In addition, CHI St. Vincent North received the American Heart Association’s Target: Stroke Honor Roll Advanced Therapy award by meeting specific criteria that reduce the time between an eligible patient’s arrival at the hospital and treat- ment to remove the clot causing the stroke. The American Heart Association also honored the hospital with the Target: Type 2 Honor Roll award in recognition of the hospital’s focus to ensure patients with Type 2 diabetes receive the most up-to-date, evidence-based care when hos- pitalized due to stroke. “We are incredibly pleased to recognize CHI St. Vincent North for its commitment to caring for patients with stroke,” said Steven Messe, MD, chairperson of the American Heart Association Stroke System of Care Advisory Group. “Hospi- tals who participate in this program are associated with seeing improved patient outcomes while sav- ing more patients' lives.” Baptist HealthMedical Center- Heber Springs Granted 5-Star Overall Hospital Rating by CMS Baptist Health Medical Center-Heber Springs has been granted an outstanding five-star overall hospital rating by the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS). Baptist Health Medical Center-Heber Springs has been committed to serving Heber Springs and surrounding communities since its opening in 1968. The hospital, which became part of Bap- tist Health in 1996 and moved to its current loca- tion in 2007, has 25 licensed beds. Baptist Health is dedicated to providing state- of-the-art technology across the state, including in the rural areas it serves. This is evidenced by recent efforts to bring an advanced MRI with a patient experience module, a 160-slice CT scan- ner with full cardiac capabilities, and a Mako orthopedic robotic system to Baptist Health Medical Center-Heber Springs. CMS awarded 483 U.S. hospitals with a rating of five stars as of July 26 as part of its Overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings for 2023. Baptist Health Medi- cal Center-Heber Springs is one of three Arkansas hospitals to receive this honor. Karen Farst, MD, is Chief Medical Officer at Arkansas Children’s Hospital Arkansas Children’s is promoting physician leader and child advocate Karen Farst, MD, MPH, to senior vice president and chief medical officer for Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH) in Little Rock, concluding a national search. Farst leads the child maltreatment program at ACH, where she also serves as chief of medi- cal staff. She was the first physician to be board- certified in child abuse pediatrics in the state of Arkansas. A professor of pediatrics and section chief of children at risk in the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Medicine, Farst also served two terms on the child abuse sub-board of the American Board of Pediatrics. “Dr. Farst is exceptional at building partnerships and adept at navigating some of the most chal- lenging systems to ensure children’s safety and well-being,” said Rick Barr, MD, executive vice president and chief clinical officer of Arkansas Children’s. “For the past 20 years, she has been the state’s leading advocate for the most vulner- able children, reducing trauma after trauma by building collaborations and partnerships that shine a light on the very dark subject of child abuse and neglect.” Farst will move into the role over the course of Karen Farst, MD