HJAR Mar/Apr 2024

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS I  MAR / APR 2024 41 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalAR.com health center in Mena, Arkansas. The Mena Milk Depot is a designated space for women to donate milk, which will be sent to the UAMS Milk Bank for screening, pasteuriza- tion, and nutritional analysis. After processing, milk will be sent to hospitals throughout Arkansas. The Mena Milk Depot is in the Women’s Cen- ter at the Mena Regional Health System build- ing, located at 311 N. Morrow St., Mena, and is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If mak- ing donations after 5 p.m. or on the weekends, enter through the hospital’s main entrance. For more information or to schedule a drop off, call (479) 394-6100, ext. 2409 or 6401. The first facility of its kind in Arkansas, the UAMS Milk Bank helps ensure a ready supply of donor milk for sick and vulnerable infants in neo- natal intensive care units (NICU) around the state, shortening the time it takes for regional hospi- tals to receive critical milk supplies and improv- ing outcomes for babies. For information about how to donate milk to the UAMS Milk Bank, visit uamshealth.com/uams- milk-bank. To contact the Milk Bank, call (501) 686- 5355 or email milkbank@uams.edu. PhysicianWorking to Stop Medical School Bullying A young, rural Central Arkansas doctor is being recognized by the Pulaski County Medical Society for her anti-bullying efforts and advocating for the mental health of physicians and medical students. Ally Eruemulor, MD, 39, was given the 2023 Young Physician Award by the Pulaski County Medical Society for her mental health and minor- ity activism. In addition, she’s been described as an integral part of her community and her clinic, CHI St. Vincent Primary Care-Scott. Originally from Nigeria, she says she expe- rienced bullying and harassment in residency in Arkansas. That’s why she created Physicians Keepers, where she speaks publicly and edu- cates medical students about mental health and anti-bullying. “As physicians, we just don’t talk about it, no one wants to ruffle any feathers,” she said. “It’s already a rough profession on its own and we don’t offer room to express emotions. We need to be mindful of how we treat each other and how we talk to each other.” Alison Kee, APRN, Joins Baptist Health Family Clinic-Hazen Baptist Health Family Clinic-Hazen-A Ser- vice of Baptist Health Medical Center-Stuttgart recently welcomed Alison Kee, APRN. Kee also currently sees patients at Baptist Health Family Clinic-Brinkley. Kee, a Hazen native, received a medical educa- tion fromWalden University. Kee is a board-certi- fied family nurse practitioner. “I have always wanted to practice in my home- town and be able to give back to my commu- nity,” Kee says. Baptist Health Family Clinic-Hazen is located at 102 West North Front St. UAMS Researchers to Develop, Test PTSDTreatments for Incarcerated Individuals with Opioid Use Disorder A research team from the University of Arkan- sas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) will develop and test new approaches to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) screening and treat- ment among incarcerated individuals who are eligible for opioid use disorder (OUD) services. The study, “Developing and Testing Innovative Care Pathways for Screening and Treatment of OUD/PTSD in Jails,” will be the first trial to test an integrated model of screening and treatment for PTSD and opioid use disorder. The trial will take place in the Pulaski County Regional Deten- tion Facility, the largest jail in the state of Arkan- sas. The first phase of the research will engage community partners, including detention facil- ity staff, in designing an appropriate, integrated treatment model to be tested during a second phase of the research. Leading the project are Melissa Zielinski, PhD, associate professor and clinical psychologist in the UAMS Department of Psychiatry and Behav- ioral Sciences, and Nick Zaller, PhD, professor in the UAMS Fay W. Boozman College of Pub- lic Health’s Department of Health Behavior and Health Education. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is pro- viding $915,000 for the first phase of the multi- phase study, which began in September 2023 and will continue through August 2025. The study, which is part of the NIH’s HEAL Initiative, is exclusive to Pulaski County. It is a collabora- tive effort between UAMS, the Pulaski County Regional Detention Facility, and Central Arkan- sas community members. “The project provides an unprecedented opportunity to bring evidenced-based treatments for PTSD and OUD to a setting where people very often lack access despite there being a great need,” Zielinski stated. Opioid use disorder occurs when the use of opi- oids causes significant impairment and distress to a person’s life and is common among people who become incarcerated. PTSD, which is a mental health condition that can result from exposure to trauma and results in symptoms like reexperienc- ing the event through flashbacks and nightmares, is also common for incarcerated individuals. Past research has shown that the two disorders often co-occur, but there is limited research on how to effectively identify and treat them in jails. “Overdose is the leading cause of death among people recently released from incar- ceration,” Zielinski said. “Our goal with this study is to find ways to avoid that outcome.” Among the primary goals of the study is to develop collaborative research between aca- demia and community members to create and test solutions that differ from what is currently the norm. “That’s how we’ll ultimately develop what’s tested in the trial in regard to screening and treat- ment services,” Zielinski said. “The opportunity to co-develop ideas with the community is excit- ing and necessary.” Zaller noted that community-engaged research Alison Kee, APRN