HJAR Jul/Aug 2026

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS I  JUL / AUG 2026 39 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalAR.com Theodosia Murphy Nolan in 1991 to honor and support the essential services provided by the Department of Internal Medicine toward the health and well-being of the citizens of Arkansas. Saucedo was born in Mexico City and received his medical degree with honors from the Univer- sidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico in 1987. He completed a residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in cardiovascular medicine at the National Institute of Medical Sciences in Mex- ico City, followed by fellowships in interventional cardiology at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and Washington Hospital Center in Wash- ington, D.C. Saucedo is board-certified in cardiovascular disease. He is a fellow of the American College of Cardiology; the American Heart Association, for which he has served in local, regional, and national leadership roles including on its board of directors; and the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions. He has served as principal investigator or site principal investiga- tor for numerous industry-sponsored and feder- ally-funded clinical trials and has authored or co- authored more than 150 peer-reviewed articles, books, chapters, and reviews. Dorothy Snider Foundation Awards $110KGrant to UAMS The UAMS College of Medicine received a $110,000 grant from the Dorothy Snider Founda- tion, a fund managed by the Memphis Medical Society, for student scholarships. “This is an exciting development in our efforts to generate more scholarships, and the effects will be life-changing for aspiring physicians in the College of Medicine,” said Steven Webber, MD, dean of the College of Medicine and UAMS executive vice chancellor. “Gifts of this magni- tude enable substantive scholarships and are an investment in our mission to produce outstanding doctors for Arkansas. We are grateful to the Dor- othy Snider Foundation and the Memphis Medi- cal Society for their partnership.” Baptist Health Family Clinic–CabotWelcomes Two NewProviders Baptist Health Family Clinic–Cabot has added two family nurse practitioners, Madison Robbins, APRN, FNP-C, and Jennifer Williams, APRN. Both providers offer services ranging from rou- tine wellness exams to chronic disease manage- ment and mental health support for patients of all ages. Both are currently accepting new patients. Robbins earned a master’s degree in nursing from Chamberlain University. She most recently served as a registered nurse and night shift supervisor at Methodist Behavioral Hospital in Maumelle. Williams, a Cabot native, also earned a master’s degree in nursing from Chamberlain University. Foundation Awards Grant to Support Bone Fracture Laboratory UAMS received a $99,990 grant from the Arkan- sas Community Health and Education Founda- tion to its College of Medicine’s Department of Physiology and Cell Biology. The grant will sup- port the department’s Bone Fracture Laboratory, which includes the purchase of an advanced high- resolution bone imaging system, the KUBTEC PARAMETER X-ray System and software. The Bone Fracture Laboratory is equipped with specialized equipment that evaluates bone strength and serves UAMS by perform- ing research on diseases of bone, cartilage, and muscle. War Does Not Make America Healthy Over seven congressional budget hearings in two weeks, Health and Human Services Secre- tary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was on Capitol Hill defending a proposed $111.1 billion discretionary budget for HHS — a $15.8 billion cut, 12.5% below the 2026 enacted level. At the same time, President Donald Trump’s budget proposes $1.5 trillion for national defense/offense — a 44% increase for the newly rebranded Department of War. Reuters described the proposal as the larg- est year-over-year increase in U.S. defense spend- ing since World War II. Kennedy spoke of diabetes, obesity, ultra-pro- cessed food, poor nutrition, chemical exposure, medical schools that barely teach nutrition, and a healthcare system that spends trillions treat- ing disease after it has already taken hold. He also defended a budget that cuts the depart- ment responsible for health, public health, med- ical research, disability programs, disease surveil- lance, rural health, and emergency preparedness. The most bipartisan moments in the hearing came when senators talked about food. Repub- licans praised Kennedy for emphasizing nutrition, food dyes, medical-school nutrition education, and changes to dietary guidelines. Democrats challenged him on cuts, vaccines, and public- health capacity. But across party lines, there was a rare area of agreement: The American food sys- tem is helping make Americans sick. Overall, the hearing became a collision between Kennedy’s message, Make America Healthy Again, and his anti-science stance and budget cuts to fund billionaires’ tax cuts and fund the Department of War. Kennedy is right that America’s chronic-disease crisis is real. He is right that nutrition matters. He is right that sanitation, food, water, housing, and environment deserve far more credit than medi- cine usually gives them. Madison Robbins, APRN Jennifer Williams, APRN