HJAR Jul/Aug 2025

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS I  JUL / AUG 2025 73 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalAR.com UAMS Chancellor CamPatterson, MD, MBA, Stepping Down UAMS Chancellor Cam Patterson, MD, MBA, will step down as leader of the state’s only aca- demic health sciences university, citing medical and personal issues that need more attention than he can give them while serving as chancellor. He has served as chancellor since 2018 and will con- tinue at UAMS as a professor in the College of Medicine’s Division of Cardiovascular Medicine. UAMS President Jay B. Silveria has stated that an interim chancellor will be named in the com- ing weeks, while a national search for a perma- nent successor will be led by William J. Steinbach, MD, chair of pediatrics at UAMS, who will form a search committee in collaboration with a national search firm and the University of Arkansas System. Baptist Health Using Ion Robot for Lung Cancer Treatment In April, Baptist Health performed its first proce- dure using the new Ion robotic-assisted bronchos- copy system, aimed at improving early detection of lung cancer and providing faster access to life- saving treatments. The Ion system enables precise, minimally inva- sive biopsies even for small and hard-to-reach nodules, allowing for earlier and more accurate diagnoses. According to the American Lung Association, Arkansas has one of the highest lung cancer inci- dence and mortality rates in the nation, ranking among the states with the worst lung cancer sur- vival rates. UAMS, Washington Regional Approved for Residency Programs UAMS and Washington Regional Medical Cen- ter have received initial accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Edu- cation (ACGME) to establish a neurology resi- dency program and an emergency medicine res- idency program in Northwest Arkansas through their joint graduate medical education program. These are the first non–primary care residency programs accredited in Northwest Arkansas and can begin recruiting residents in the fall. The initial two neurology residents and the initial six emer- gency medicine residents will begin in July 2026. When full, the four-year neurology program will have a total of eight residents, and the three-year emergency medicine program will have a total of 18 residents. Saline Health System Names NewCNO Saline Health System has appointed Jackie Wilk- erson as chief nursing officer. Wilkerson, a registered nurse, has almost 20 years of experience in healthcare leadership roles, including associate chief nursing officer at HCA Tristar Centennial Medical Center, associate administrator at Saline Health System, and market chief nursing officer at Sovah Health. Wilkerson holds a Master of Business Adminis- tration in healthcare management from Harding University in Searcy, a Bachelor of Science in nurs- ing from the University of Memphis, and a Bach- elor of Arts in business education from Harding University. UAMS Performs Groundbreaking Epilepsy Surgery as Part of FDA-Approved Clinical Trial Surgeons from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) have performed the first transplantation in Arkansas of interneuron cell therapy, called NRTX-1001, into a patient with non-lesional epilepsy as part of an FDA-approved clinical trial under way at multiple locations across the United States. Four months later, the 33-year-old patient, who has had seizures daily since the age of 12, reports a significant reduction in all three types of seizures he has experienced for more than half his life. Sisira Yadala, MD, a neurologist who directs the UAMS Division of Epilepsy and the UAMS Level 4 Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, is the princi- pal investigator for the study at UAMS. She said Tyler Priddy of Hot Springs was the 19th patient enrolled in the study and the first with non-lesional epilepsy to undergo the treatment. Arkansas Children’s Hospital Receives Magnet Redesignation Arkansas Children’s Hospital has again received international recognition for excellence in nurs- ing, achieving redesignation as a Magnet hospital. Just 8% of U.S. healthcare organizations earn Magnet designation, widely considered the high- est international credential for professional nurs- ing practice and signifying excellence in clinical care. CHI St. Vincent Reaches Agreement withUnitedHealthcare CHI St. Vincent announced a new multiyear agreement with UnitedHealthcare, effective April 9, 2025. The renewal agreement will allow patients to maintain in-network access to all CHI St. Vin- cent services across existing contracted prod- ucts, including UnitedHealthcare and Medicare Advantage. CHI St. Vincent has hospitals in Little Rock, Hot Springs, Sherwood, and Morrilton. Saline Health SystemNames Mercy AwardWinner Saline Health System recently announced that Jayme Workman has been recognized as the hos- pital’s 2025 Mercy Award winner. The Mercy Award recognizes one employee from each of Lifepoint Health’s hospitals who “represents the spirit and values on which the company was founded: com- passion, dedication, and a merciful spirit.” Workman, a registered nurse, has worked in the emergency department and emergency depart- ment leadership for more than 30 years, including about five years as the emergency department director at Saline Memorial Hospital. In addition to her role as department director, she volunteers as a member of the employee engagement com- mittee. n Jackie Wilkerson