HJAR Jan/Feb 2025

28 JAN / FEB 2025  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS   Healthcare Briefs Russellville Pediatric, Adolescent Clinic Opens UAMSMilk Bank Depot The Russellville Pediatric and Adolescent Clinic opened a milk depot in support of the Univer- sity of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Milk Bank. “The opening of a new milk drop-off depot at the Russellville Pediatric and Adolescent Clinic marks an exciting step for our community,” said Misty L. Virmani, MD, executive medical direc- tor of the UAMS Milk Bank, associate profes- sor of pediatrics and neonatology and director of breastfeeding medicine. “This convenient resource offers local families an easy way to donate breast milk, directly supporting the health and well-being of infants throughout Arkansas.” The Russellville Pediatric and Adolescent Clinic is the first private clinic in Arkansas to open a milk depot, a designated space for women to donate milk that is then sent to the UAMS Milk Bank for screening, pasteurization and nutritional analysis. After processing, milk is sent, according to need, to hospitals throughout Arkansas. Before mak- ing a donation, donors must complete an initial screening through the UAMS Milk Bank. “Russellville Pediatric and Adolescent Clinic is thrilled to partner with the UAMS Milk Bank to open our very own Milk Depot,” said Molly Pilk- ington, RN, owner and manager of Russellville Pediatric and Adolescent Clinic. “We recognize the vital role breastmilk plays in a child’s growth and development and are proud to contribute to UAMS’s expanding efforts in supporting and educating families in need across Arkansas and the nation.” The new milk depot is located at 220 N. Sidney Ave., in Russellville. Drop-offs can be made with the front desk attendant Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. “By providing this service within a pediatric clinic, we aim to highlight the vital role breast- feeding plays in not only an infant’s early devel- opment but also in promoting long-term health throughout childhood and beyond,” said Virmani. “This initiative underscores the importance of community support in fostering healthier futures for all children, ensuring that every baby has the best start possible.” 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. Previously, Arkansas hospitals relied on donor milk purchased from milk banks in Texas, Mich- igan, Illinois, and Oklahoma, costing more than $1 million a year. In 2021, the Arkansas Legisla- ture passed Act 225 establishing the creation of the milk bank and a special fund to help support the bank. 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. UAMS Researcher Receives $3.3MGrant to Study PTSD Therapies in Prisons A University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) researcher has been awarded a grant worth $3.3 million from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to study the effectiveness of two therapeutic options in treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in prison populations. Melissa Zielinski, PhD, director of the Health and the Legal System (HEALS) Lab, is the princi- pal investigator in a five-year study on the treat- ment of incarcerated adults with PTSD and sub- stance use disorder using cognitive processing therapy (CPT). CPT is a specific type of cogni- tive behavioral therapy that is effective in reduc- ing symptoms of PTSD that have developed after experiencing a variety of traumatic events including child abuse, combat, rape, and natu- ral disasters. Zielinski expects that providing therapy for PTSD while people are in prison will help them have better outcomes after release, especially those that relate to substance misuse. Roughly 5.5 million adults in the United States are either incarcerated or under correctional supervision. Approximately 85% of those indi- viduals have an active substance use disorder or were incarcerated for a drug-related crime. PTSD and substance use disorders increase the risk of those formerly incarcerated being arrested repeatedly, according to Zielinski. Despite this fact, few prisons in the U.S. provide PTSD ther- apy for persons in custody. Zielinski’s team will test the effectiveness of CPT versus trauma-focused self-help and will study the implementation and costs of both interven- tions and the associated implementation strate- gies within 10 prisons in five states. “We’ve known for decades that people who become incarcerated have almost all experi- enced repeated trauma exposure, and that a much greater percentage of this population have PTSD than we see in the general commu- nity,” said Zielinski. “But we haven’t yet done is taken that knowledge and systematically studied our evidence-based therapies for PTSD in pris- ons. This study will look at one of the most effec- tive and established therapies for PTSD in pris- ons with the goal of building knowledge on how to implement it and on its financial costs with the hope that having this information could lead to uptake by other prisons in the future.” The study will enroll over 600 incarcerated adults, male and female, and about 100 prison staff members. Zielinski has spent the last five years research- ing CPT and its value to those with PTSD and sub- stance use disorders in two correction centers in Arkansas. She sees this new multistate study as a way to identify new strategies for helping to break longstanding cycles of trauma, addiction, and incarceration that characterize the nation’s prisons more broadly. “When I talk to people who work inside prisons, there is almost always immediate buy-in about the role that trauma exposure and PTSD play in people coming to prison and struggling to suc- ceed post-release,” Zielinski said. “They see it every day. This study is an opportunity to build knowledge on therapy with a real potential to dis- rupt that cycle, improving the health of people in prison, their families and the community.” Baptist Health Heart Institute / Arkansas Cardiology Clinic-Little RockWelcomes Cardiologist Kirby N. Von Edwins, MD Kirby N. Von Edwins, MD, recently joined the team at Baptist Health Heart Institute/Arkansas Cardiology Clinic-Little Rock. Von Edwins received his medical education