HJAR Jul/Aug 2024

54 JUL / AUG 2024  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS Hospital Rounds Baptist Health Offering New Infusion Treatment for Those with Early Stages of Alzheimer’s Disease Baptist Health is now offering an infusion treat- ment approved by the Federal Drug Administra- tion (FDA) for certain people in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. In a large, 18-month study, intravenous (IV) infu- sion treatment with LEQEMBI was proven to slow the progression of early Alzheimer's disease, help- ing people remember, solve problems, and com- plete daily activities for longer. LEQEMBI is for people who are experiencing: • Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) due to Alzheimer’s disease. This is when symptoms like forgetfulness and confusion are very mild and may not get in the way of daily life. • Mild Alzheimer’s dementia. This is when symptoms like trouble keeping track of bills and difficulty with familiar tasks start to get in the way of daily life. For more about this infusion treatment for early Alzheimer’s disease, visit Baptist-Health.com or call Baptist Health Memory Clinic-North Little Rock at (501) 404-3785. NIHAwards $3.2 Million to Arkansas Children’s, UAMS to Develop Next-Generation Treatments for Children with Rare Vascular Anomalies Investigators at Arkansas Children’s Research Institute (ACRI) and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) will use a $3.2 million award from the National Institutes of Health to lay the foundation for a new treatment that could transform quality of life for children with lymphatic malformations. A type of vascular anomaly of the lymphatic system, these malformations often cause breath- ing and feeding difficulties for children. Patients also frequently experience pain, infections, and disfigurement. Graham Strub, MD, a pediatric otolaryngology- head and neck surgeon at Arkansas Children’s and an associate professor of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at UAMS, will lead the research team during the five-year study. He and members of his laboratory have been collecting tissue and blood from lymphatic malformation patients with the goal of developing new treatments to reverse their growth and development. Collaborating with Robert Griffin, MD, a pro- fessor of radiation oncology at UAMS, they will study how microRNAs, which are small molecules that silence the expression of specific genes, can reverse this abnormal gene expression. The teams are hopeful this novel technology will improve treatment outcomes, reduce side effects, and expand the understanding of the epigenetic regulation of the lymphatic system. Grants to Assist Mercy Arkansas Hospitals in Expanding Nursing Programs Amid an ongoing nursing shortage around the country, recent grants awarded to Mercy Hospitals will help create additional opportunities to recruit, retain, and educate nurses in Arkansas. Through the Arkansas Linking Industry to Grow- ing Nurses (ALIGN) Program, the Arkansas Office of Skills Development recently awarded $20.4 mil- lion to 19 Arkansas two- and four-year colleges and universities through collaborations with healthcare systems. Funding for the ALIGN grants is through the America Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and must be used by the end of 2026. Mercy Fort Smith submitted its grant proposal in conjunction with the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith (UAFS), while Mercy Northwest Arkan- sas teamed up with Northwest Arkansas Com- munity College (NWACC). Combined, Mercy will receive almost $3.2 million to support the creation of more educational opportunities for nurses and the development of additional hands-on training opportunities. Jacqueline Truesdale, chief nursing officer at Mercy Northwest Arkansas, said expanding edu- cation opportunities for current and future nurses is a critical part of developing a nursing pipeline to help address the ongoing shortage. “The best thing we can do to address the demand for nurses is to recruit and retain nurses through education programs,” Truesdale said. “These initiatives will help address the nurse short- age in our region by helping us build capacity to train more nursing students, upskill lower-level professionals and provide further education for employed nurses, which will lead to higher-level positions and better job retention.” Each Mercy hospital plans for funding to go toward supporting additional clinical educators, managers, clinical instructors, and nursing lead- ers to expand clinical rotations. Scholarships and educational opportunities (including paid sum- mer externships) will be created in conjunction with UAFS and NWACC. CARTI Expands Radiation Oncology Team CARTI recently welcomed J. Scott Cordova, MD, PhD, to its radiation oncology team. Cordova spe- cializes in high dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy, a minimally invasive method of radiation treatment that places radioactive sources close to or within tumors. Before joining CARTI, Cordova completed a residency in radiation oncology at Barnes- Jewish Hospital at the Washington University Medical Center in St. Louis and an internship at Wellstar Kennestone Regional Hospital in Marietta, Georgia. He received a medical degree from Emory University School of Medicine and a PhD in molecular and systems pharmacology from Laney Graduate School at Emory University. He graduated with honors from the University of Central Arkansas with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry. Cordova is board-certified by the American Board of Radiology and is a member of the Amer- ican Brachytherapy Society, American College of Radiation Oncology, American Radium Society, American Society for Radiation Oncology and Radiation Research Society. Arkansas Children’s Hospital Auxiliary Raises More Than $143K fromEvent Arkansas Children's Hospital (ACH) Auxiliary hosted a sold-out a la Carte on April 4, featuring 24 dining establishments across central Arkansas. The tasting event raised more than $143,000 in net proceeds which will provide critical funds needed to support the expansion project at ACH. The ACH Auxiliary announced in 2023 that it would commit $6.25 million to support the largest expansion in Arkansas Children's 112-year history — a $318 million investment for new construction and renovations at Arkansas Children's Hospital