HJAR Sep/Oct 2025

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS I  SEP / OCT 2025 29 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalAR.com committee will assist in the cultivation of a short list of final candidates for Silveria to consider. He will present his pick to the Board of Trustees of the University of Arkansas for final approval. UAMS, University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana Partner to Offer College Credit to Doula Trainees Participants in the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Institute for Commu- nity Health Innovation’s doula training program are now able to receive up to seven hours of col- lege credit through the University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana (UAHT) through a partnership between UAMS and UA Hope-Texarkana. The two educational institutions are boosting the doula training program following the state’s passage of the Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies Act signed into law by Gov. Sarah Sanders in February. The institute launched its enhanced doula train- ing program earlier this year, enrolling 60 trainees from across the state who will receive doula certi- fication upon program completion later this year. The training program includes 29 hours of training with Birthing Beyond, LLC, an approved DONA International certification program; 40 hours of training with Ujima Maternity Network of Conway; 45 hours of Certified Breastfeeding Counselor training; and six months of mentorship. Doulas are trained birth coaches who pro- vide continuous emotional and physical support throughout labor and delivery. Research shows that incorporating doula support into mater- nal care significantly improves birth outcomes, including lower rates of interventions like cesar- ean sections and preterm births, while enhancing maternal satisfaction, infant health, and parental engagement. Additionally, doula-assisted care is linked to reduced maternal and infant mortality, decreased postpartum depression and average healthcare cost savings of nearly $1,000 per birth. The institute is seeking expectant mothers who are expected to give birth before Dec. 1. Expect- ant mothers in 41 counties may receive free ser- vices from doulas-in-training. Accepted mothers will receive the names of doulas-in-training to contact and select for free doula support during their pregnancy and after their baby is born. The doula trainees are not UAMS employees; however, they are partnered with a mentor as they gain experience and work toward certification. Expectant mothers who are interested in receiv- ing free support by a doula-in-training can learn more by emailing communityhealth@uams.edu or by visiting: uams.health/doula Arkansas Approved to Ban SNAP Recipients fromUsing Benefits for Soda, Candy According to reporting by Ainsley Platt in the June 10 issue of the Arkansas Advocate, candy and sodas are coming off the menu for SNAP recipients in Arkansas. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins officially approved a waiver to allow Arkansas to ban its SNAP recipients from using their bene- fits to purchase certain types of food. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders made the waiver request to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which over- sees the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Pro- gram, when Rollins visited Little Rock in April. The waiver will take effect July 1, 2026. Sanders specifically asked the federal govern- ment to allow Arkansas to restrict SNAP partici- pants from purchasing certain types of food and drink deemed unhealthy with their benefits, such as soda, juices with less than 50% natural juice, and other “unhealthy drinks,” along with “confec- tionary products with flour and artificially sweet- ened candy.” In their place, Sanders requested that Arkansas SNAP recipients be allowed to purchase rotisserie chickens with their food benefits. The exclusion of soda and candy would not decrease overall SNAP benefits received by ben- eficiaries, Sanders said during Rollins’ April visit, but would rather free up more of their benefits for healthier foods. Arkansas was one of the first states to request the junk food waiver. Nebraska was the first to receive approval on May 20. The Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families and the food industry objected to the restrictions. The waiver decision comes after the USDA backed down on a demand to states that they provide a variety of personally-identifiable infor- mation on SNAP beneficiaries while lawsuits played out. The Arkansas Advocate article this news brief was taken from was shortened for space. To read the full article, go to: https://arkansasadvocate. com/2025/06/10/arkansas-approved-to-ban- snap-recipients-from-using-benefits-for-soda- candy/ Kristi PutnamSteps Down as Arkansas Human Services Secretary Journalist Sonny Albarado of the Arkansas Advocate reported in June that Arkansas State Medicaid Director Janet Mann became secretary of the Department of Human Services in July fol- lowing former secretary Kristi Putnam’s return to Kentucky. Mann served as DHS’ deputy secretary of pro- grams as well as Medicaid director. She has over 20 years of experience in healthcare and health- care finance and previously served as chief finan- cial officer and director of the division of medical services for the department. Putnam was deputy secretary of the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services when Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders picked her to lead Arkansas’ Human Services Department in 2023. As DHS deputy secretary of programs, Mann oversaw the department’s divisions of aging, sub- stance abuse and mental health, developmental disabilities, provider services and quality assur- ance, eligibility, child welfare, and youth services, as well as Medicaid. The department is the state’s largest agency with a total budget of about $11 billion, and its programs serve approximately one in three Arkansans. Mann’s background includes a stint as the dep- uty administrator for Mississippi Medicaid and as a consultant to several states’ Medicaid agencies on finance, reporting, managed care, program integrity, organizational assessments, and eligi- bility, according to the press release. She holds a bachelor of science degree in accounting from the University of Alabama and is a certified pub- lic accountant. The Arkansas Advocate article this news brief was taken from was shortened for space. To read the full article, go to: https://arkansasadvocate. com/2025/06/11/kristi-putnam-steps-down-as- arkansas-dhs-secretary/