HJAR Jul/Aug 2024

32 JUL / AUG 2024  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS   Healthcare Briefs Blue &You Foundation Awards UAMS $175K for Mobile Vision Screening Unit The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) received a $175,000 grant from the Blue & You Foundation for a Healthier Arkansas to sup- port GoVision AR: mobile vision screening for underserved children across Arkansas. GoVision AR, a project of the UAMS Depart- ment of Ophthalmology, aims to address the sig- nificant disparities in access to vision care and unmet vision care needs for underserved chil- dren in Arkansas through the implementation of a mobile vision clinic program. Based on research conducted by the Depart- ment of Ophthalmology, there are significant nationwide disparities in access to vision care and eye health among children, particularly in low- income families and minority groups. Additionally, rates of childhood vision impairment were highest in Southern states, including Arkansas. Findings indicate that children in Arkansas who fail school vision screenings have significantly inadequate follow-up eye care. The study also found that fol- low-up rates were associated with key indicators of socioeconomic status, such as race, poverty, insurance coverage and academic achievement. The program will also collaborate with various community partners including school districts, community health centers, nonprofit vision care organizations, local optometrists and ophthalmol- ogists, and parent-teacher associations. Professorship in Radiation Oncology Established at UAMS James “Jim” Wallis and Patricia “Pat” Wallis pledged $500,000 to create the James and Patri- cia Wallis Professorship in Radiation Oncology in the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Medicine’s Department of Radiation Oncology. The gift was made to support the Future of UAMS and was inspired by Jim Wallis’s tumor treatment using proton therapy at the Proton Center in Oklahoma City. The professorship holder will be a faculty member of the Depart- ment of Radiation Oncology, elected by the chair of the department with approval by the dean of the College of Medicine. Baptist Health Behavioral Services Clinic-Little Rock Welcomes Ashley Fulks, APRN Psychiatric nurse practitioner Ashley Fulks recently joined the team at Baptist Health Behav- ioral Services Clinic-Little Rock. Fulks received an education from Liberty Univer- sity and Chamberlain University. She is accredited by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Baptist Health Behavioral Services Clinic-Little Rock is located at 11321 Mabelvale West Road, Suite 304, in southwest Little Rock. The clinic is open Monday-Thursday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. and Friday from 8 a.m.-12 noon. Extended hours are available. Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Partners Raise $5.4 Million for Arkansas Children’s More than 40 Children’s Miracle Network Hospi- tals (CMN Hospitals) partners raised $5,416,243 in 2023 for Arkansas Children’s Hospital and Arkan- sas Children’s Northwest. CMN Hospitals raises funds and awareness for 170 children’s hospitals across the U.S. and Can- ada. Arkansas Children’s has been a member since the organization’s founding in 1983. This month, CMN Hospitals announced a record- breaking fundraising year, raising more than $449 million in 2023 – a 6.9% increase in fundraising year-over-year. Grant Benefits Center for Simulation Innovation at UA Little Rock School of Nursing Nursing students at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock are receiving a more realistic nurs- ing education in the Center for Simulation Inno- vation thanks to a grant from the Roy & Christine Sturgis Charitable Trust. The Roy & Christine Sturgis Charitable Trust has awarded a grant of $25,000 to the University of Arkansas Foundation for the Center for Simula- tion Innovation in the UA Little Rock School of Nursing. The grant provided funding for the Cen- ter for Simulation Innovation to purchase Echo- Masks to diversify the educational experience for nursing students. The Center for Simulation Innovation uses sev- eral mannequins to simulate patients in learning scenarios. These mannequins normally resemble a white, middle-aged adult male and are not fully representative of the ages, genders, races, and ethnicities of the patient population in Arkansas. EchoMasks are designed to enhance the fidel- ity of simulators by increasing the level of realism learners experience. EchoMasks can transform a mannequin to look like patients in a wide range of ages, genders, and skin tones without compro- mising the functionality of the mannequin. Northwest Health Welcomes Christopher A. Menendez, MD, FACS Northwest Health welcomes board-certi- fied, fellowship-trained breast Surgical Oncol- ogist Christopher A. Menendez, MD, FACS, to the medical staff, practicing at Northwest Breast Care Associates. He received a medical education at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock. After a general surgery residency at the Mt. Sinai- Cabrini program in New York City, Menendez completed a breast surgical oncology fellowship at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. Menendez is board-certified by the Ameri- can Board of Surgery and a Fellow of the Amer- ican College of Surgeons. He also has breast ultrasound and stereotactic breast biopsy cer- tifications from the American Society of Breast Surgeons. Menendez is currently accepting new patients at his office, located at 5501 Willow Creek Drive, Suite 202, in Springdale. Ashley Fulks, APRN