HJAR Sep/Oct 2023

42 SEP / OCT 2023  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS   Healthcare Briefs completed residency training in family medicine and community health at the University of Kansas. Baptist Health Family Clinic-Lonoke is located at 757 E. Front St. in Lonoke. Miranda Franco, APRN, Joins Baptist Health Family Clinic-Bismarck Miranda Franco, APRN, is now seeing patients at Baptist Health Family Clinic-Bismarck, where she previously spent five years as a nurse. Franco received a Bachelor of Science in nurs- ing at the University of Arkansas at Monticello and additional training as a family practice nurse practitioner from Walden University. Franco is board-certified by the American Asso- ciation of Nurse Practitioners and Arkansas State Board of Nursing. Baptist Health Family Clinic-Bismarck-A Ser- vice of Baptist Health Medical Center-Arkadel- phia offers a wide range of medical services. It is located at 6679 Hwy. 7 in Bismarck. UAMS Opens 12th Street Community Café The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) celebrated its newly opened 12th Street Community Café at 3999 W. 12th St., as part of the grand opening of the city’s 12th Street Center. Operated by employees of the UAMS Depart- ment of Nutrition Services, the café is located inside the center, which has been home to a Lit- tle Rock Police Department station since 2014. The café’s operating hours are 7 a.m.-2 p.m., Monday-Friday. It is located on the west end of the first floor and is accessible through entrances on both 12th and Pine streets, as well as from the interior lobby. Offering specialty coffee drinks made with Westrock coffee along with healthy breakfast, lunch, and snack items such as breakfast burri- tos, sandwiches, bagels, yogurt, fruit cups, salad, and thin-crust pizza, the café is part of UAMS’ mis- sion to improve the health of all Arkansans, partic- ularly those experiencing food insecurity. Mariella Hernandez, senior project manager of strategic initiatives at UAMS, said meal prepara- tion workshops will eventually be offered at the center by members of the UAMS Culinary Medi- cine Program, in collaboration with the Arkansas Minority Health Commission. Also, she said, “We are looking forward to collaborating with farmer’s markets to make fresh produce available.” Spine SurgeonWayne Bruffett, MD, Joins UAMS Little Rock spine surgeon, Wayne L. Bruffett, MD, has joined the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) as an assistant profes- sor in the UAMS College of Medicine’s Depart- ment of Orthopaedic Surgery. Bruffett is a board-certified, fellowship-trained orthopaedic spine surgeon specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of spinal conditions and injuries, including adult degenerative disorders of the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar regions. He sees patients at The Orthopaedic & Spine Hospi- tal’s Specialty Clinic and the UAMS Health Ortho- paedic & Spine Clinic in North Little Rock. Bruffett obtained undergraduate and postgrad- uate degrees from Baylor University in Waco, Texas. He earned a medical degree from the Baylor College of Medicine at the Texas Medical Center in Houston and completed a residency in orthopaedic surgery at UAMS. He continued his training with an orthopaedic spine fellowship at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Cen- ter in Denver. Bruffett has been practicing in Lit- tle Rock for 25 years. Baptist Health Heart Failure, Transplant Institute Adds APRNAshley Randall Ashley Randall, APRN, has joined the team at Baptist Health Heart Failure and Transplant Insti- tute in Little Rock. She is board-certified by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners in family practice and specializes in cardiology and advanced heart failure. Baptist Health Urgent Care Opens Additional Locations in Hot Springs, Russellville Baptist Health Urgent Care has opened addi- tional locations in Hot Springs at Central Avenue and Franklin Street and in Russellville by First State Bank. The new centers complement exist- ing clinics in Hot Springs and Russellville. The centers are open seven days a week, Mon- day-Friday, 8 a.m.-8 p.m.; Saturday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.; and Sunday, 1 p.m.-6 p.m. Most insurance plans, including TRICARE and VA, Medicare and Medic- aid, as well as cash and credit card are accepted. ARKids requires a physician referral in advance of the visit. UAMS Taking Group Prenatal Care on the Road Through CenteringPregnancy The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Office of Community Health & Research Wayne L. Bruffett, MD Ashley Randall, APRN Miranda Franco, APRN