HJAR Jan/Feb 2024

30 JAN / FEB 2024  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS   Healthcare Briefs “We have continued to incarcerate the prob- lem of mental illness, but there are several ways to solve it,” she said. “One way is for these peo- ple to go into treatment instead of jail, keep them out of the justice system where they are subject to discrimination and marginalization.” “Mental health is an issue that continues to plague the communities in which we police. As the incidents in the communities evolve, so must our efforts to serve and protect,” said Little Rock Chief of Police Heath Helton. “This is the first of its kind in Little Rock, and we are thankful to do our part to address this national issue.” NYITCOMat A-State Names Seven Population Health Fellows Seven medical students at New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine at Arkansas State University have been named to the medical school’s Delta Health Policy Fel- lowship program. Student Doctors Avery Carter, Jana Dsouza, Kevin Hodson, Angelica Maiers, Antonio Patter- son, Taha Muhammad-Ali, and Gina Qualter, all of whom are in their second year at NYITCOM at A-State, will be engaged in a robust practicum experience with local, state, and federal leaders that will allow them to contribute to decision- making that will affect the health of communities in Arkansas and across the Delta. NYITCOM’s Population Health Fellowship oper- ates through the Delta Population Health Insti- tute (DPHI), which serves as the Jonesboro-based medical school’s community engagement arm. “The goal of the fellowship is to equip and train rising osteopathic physicians to transform health, healthcare, and health policy,” said Brookshield Laurent, DO, NYITCOM at A-State chair of clinical medicine and the executive director of the DPHI. “This fellowship program helps osteopathic med- ical students learn and utilize their skills in health policy to enhance the osteopathic medical pro- fession and become community health leaders. We’re extremely proud that these student doctors are committed to making a difference through health policy.” Locally, population health fellows work with Congressman Rick Crawford’s office where they meet monthly with his staff and work to identify an area of research, obtain data, and perform on-site visits to help evaluate the different fund- ing streams provided by federal agencies that grant funding to the Mississippi Delta region. Some fellows spend time in Congressman Craw- ford’s Washington, DC, office during their fourth year of medical school as well. “Every year our health fellows are critical assets to our team as we work on evaluating health pol- icy and funding to ensure the needs of the Delta are being met,” Rep. Crawford said. “These stu- dent doctors also walk away with a better under- standing of federal health programs and how to improve health outcomes of rural Americans. I’m excited to once again welcome participants in this innovative fellowship program into our Arkansas and Washington offices.” Baptist Health Family Clinic- BryantWelcomes Missy Chapdelaine, APRN Baptist Health Family Clinic-Bryant recently wel- comed Missy Chapdelaine, APRN, to its team of providers caring for patients in Saline County. Chapdelaine received an RN degree from Bap- tist Health College Little Rock and a Master of Sci- ence in Nursing from Henderson State University. “My philosophy is that patient advocacy is a priority,” she said. “I will work hard to ensure our patients are receiving the best possible care avail- able and educate patients on their conditions and how to best manage them.” Chapdelaine is board-certified by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. DHS Announces Changes to Executive Leadership Team The Arkansas Department of Human Services announced several key changes to its executive leadership structure that will help align divisions within the agency to serve beneficiaries more holistically. Janet Mann will serve as deputy secretary for programs, and Misty Eubanks will serve as dep- uty secretary for operations and budget. In addi- tion, Melissa Weatherton will serve as director of specialty Medicaid services under Mann. These changes will streamline all programs under one reporting structure and are intended to increase cross-divisional collaboration and efficiencies. Further, the restructuring will enhance the agency focus on identifying and increasing resources for providing prevention and intervention ser- vices across all programs, which will improve ser- vice delivery and outcomes to beneficiaries and should reduce the need for higher-cost behav- ioral health and medical treatments and out-of- home placements over time. Mann previously served as deputy secretary for health, overseeing five divisions and one office within DHS that provide Medicaid services, sup- port, and operations. In her redefined role, Mann will continue to oversee these areas and also will assume responsibility for overseeing the Division of Children and Family Services (DCFS), the Divi- sion of Youth Services (DYS), the Placement Res- idential Licensing Unit (PRLU), and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). Deputy Secretary Mann will also continue to serve as the state Medicaid director. “The children and families we serve don’t come to us in pieces, but sometimes we deliver our ser- vices as if they do,” said DHS Secretary Kristi Put- nam. “By aligning all programs under one dep- uty secretary, we will be better positioned to work together to provide wraparound assistance that may span multiple divisions and offices.” Eubanks has served as the agency’s chief finan- cial officer for over two and a half years, and previ- ously has held roles as a staff attorney practicing in child welfare, attorney supervisor, privacy offi- cer, chief procurement officer, and chief of busi- ness operations. She has been with DHS for a total of 17 years. In her new role, she will over- see finance and budget and supervise the Office of Procurement, the Office of Human Resources, the Office of Information Technology, the Office of Policy and Rules, and the Office of Payment Missy Chapdelaine, APRN