HJAR Nov/Dec 2025

30 NOV / DEC 2025  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS   Healthcare Briefs Nursing Students HelpMonarch Butterflies Take Flight A group of UA Little Rock nursing students helped release about 30 monarch butterflies during a surprise classroom activity designed to inspire and educate the future nurses. DeeDee Moline, assistant professor of nursing at UA Little Rock, has been raising monarch but- terflies at her home in Greenbrier. She brought the butterflies to her Nursing Fundamentals II class on July 31 as a way to connect with her stu- dents and share a deeper lesson about growth and transformation. “Nursing school is hard,” Moline said. “I tell my students that like these butterflies, they haven’t flown yet. They’re still in the chrysalis. But look how beautiful you will be when you emerge. When you become nurses, you’ll be carrying peo- ple’s hopes and prayers on your backs.” Moline has been raising monarchs for the past four years after learning they were added to the endangered species list. She grows milkweed, the monarch caterpillars’ only food source, in her gar- den and she participates in MonarchWatch.org to help track the butterflies' migratory patterns. “I introduced myself to students by telling them I keep bees and raise monarchs,” she said. “They got excited when I brought caterpillars to class one day. Several students have since asked if they had turned into butterflies yet. So, I decided to surprise them by bringing in fully formed butter- flies for them to release.” The moment left a strong impression on the students, many of whom saw it as a reflection of their own nursing journey. “I enjoyed getting to participate in the release of the monarchs,” said Madison Henderson, a nursing student from Sherwood. “It makes me reflect on how we are as nursing students. One day, we will spread our wings and fly.” UAMS Invests Ashley Norse, MD, in Reed Professorship The University of Arkansas for Medical Sci- ences (UAMS) College of Medicine invested Ashley Norse, MD, a professor and chair in the Department of Emergency Medicine, in the Stan- ley E. Reed Professorship in Emergency Medicine, Trauma, and Injury Prevention during an Aug. 7 ceremony. Norse also serves as the clinical service chief for Emergency Medicine at the UAMS Medical Cen- ter. She earned a medical degree from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, completed a residency at the University of Florida College of Medicine Jacksonville, and completed a fellowship in healthcare policy at the University of Florida. Baptist Health Foundation Awarded Nearly $1M from Windgate Foundation Baptist Health Foundation was recently awarded $998,000 from the Windgate Founda- tion in support of significant equipment and life- like medical simulation programming upgrades at Baptist Health College Little Rock (BHCLR). This grant award will fund equipment and pro- gramming upgrades including the addition of several new high-fidelity medical manikins into the BHCLR training experience. The expansion and reconfiguring of existing classroom and skills training spaces will include the installation of a 12-room Simulation Center. Grant funding will support student experiences within the new medical simulation areas to make them look and feel like real clinical environments, including crit- ical care, labor and delivery, pediatrics and adult medical/surgical, clinic/telehealth, nuclear med- icine, and sleep technology. Plans from Arkansas-based Lewis Architects Engineers have been approved to renovate 122,750 square feet of existing space at BHCLR, with demolition slated to begin during the fourth quarter of 2025. Renovation and expansion will follow. Classes at BHCLR will continue through- out the construction process. Sawyer Sparks, DO, Joins UAMS FamilyMedical Center in Jonesboro Sawyer Sparks, DO, has joined the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and will see patients at the UAMS Health Family Med- ical Center in Jonesboro. He will also serve as an assistant professor in the UAMS Northeast Regional Campus’ Family Medicine Residency program. Sparks earned a medical degree from the Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine in Fort Smith. He recently completed a residency in family medicine at the UAMS Northeast Regional Campus in Jonesboro, serving as chief resident during his final year of residency. During his residency, Sparks earned the Best Resident Award for Family Medicine from the Arkansas Medical Society and the Outstanding Resident/Fellow award from the UAMS Depart- ment of Family and Preventive Medicine. He also received the STFM Foundation Faculty for Tomor- row Resident Scholarship. Sparks is accepting new patients at the UAMS Northeast Family Medical Center in Jonesboro. Baptist Health College Little Rock Names NewDean of Nursing Crystal Rose, PhD, MHA, RN, NR-EMT, CNE, is Baptist Health College Little Rock’s new dean of nursing. Prior to joining Baptist Health College Little Rock, Rose practiced nursing for more than 23 years and is a nationally certified nurse educator. She focused her expertise in critical care, nursing leadership, and higher education. She also prac- tices as an independent legal nurse consultant. Ashley Norse, MD Sawyer Sparks, DO