HJAR May/Jun 2026

32 MAY / JUN 2026  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS   Healthcare Briefs the gap between nutrition and clinical care by providing “Food Rx” resources and immediate health insights. All screenings are free and available to the public with no appointment needed. Visitors to the mobile health unit can receive blood pres- sure checks, blood sugar (glucose) testing, health resources, and education. For more information about the Food Is Med- icine program or specific screening details con- tact Baptist Health Community Outreach at (501) 202-1540. Jennifer Halliburton, APRN, Joins Baptist Health Family Clinic-Rose City Jennifer Halliburton, APRN, has joined the staff at Baptist Health Family Clinic-Rose City, caring for patients in North Little Rock’s Rose City neigh- borhood. Halliburton earned her nursing degrees from the University of Central Arkansas. Jonesboro University Heights Lions Club Awards New Scholarship to NYITCOMStudent Karley Bloesch, a second-year medical student at New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine at Arkansas State Univer- sity (NYITCOM at A-State), was recently awarded a newly-established scholarship from the Jones- boro University Heights Lions Club. Bloesch, a native of Poplar Grove, Arkansas, was honored at the JUH Lions Club’s Feb. 17 meeting. The $1,000 scholarship was founded to support medical students who are from Arkansas and are committed to practicing in-state. JUH Lions Club is the first civic organization to establish a scholarship for NYITCOM at A-State students. Christopher Lang, MD, Joins Baptist Health Orthopedic Clinic-Little Rock Christopher Lang, MD, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon, has joined Baptist Health Orthopedic Clinic-Little Rock. Lang specializes in sports medicine, including arthroscopic surgery for the knee and shoulder. He is also skilled in orthopedic trauma. Lang earned a medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia. He completed an orthopedic surgery residency at Atlanta Medical Center following an internship at Georgia Baptist Medical Center. Lang is recognized as a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and a diplomate of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery. Faiza Khan, MD, Joins Baptist Health Cardiothoracic Surgery Clinic Faiza Khan, MD, has joined Baptist Health Car- diothoracic Surgery Clinic. Khan received a med- ical degree from the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, where she also completed a residency in general sur- gery. She completed a cardiac research fellowship at Weill Cornell in New York City, a cardiothoracic surgery fellowship at Emory University in Atlanta, and a heart failure and transplant surgery fellow- ship at Texas Heart/Baylor in Houston. Research Shows Online ProgramSignificantly Reduces Benzodiazepine Use in Adults A recent study found that an online intervention program was significantly more effective in reducing benzodiazepine use compared to following provider recommendations about their use of the drugs. Using an informational website, UAMS and Stanford University researchers teamed up to make participants in the study aware of the risks and potential harms of long-term benzodiazepine use. The website contains many of the components of a paper form typically given to users of the drugs, which include alprazolam, known commercially as Xanax, clonazepam (Klonopin), and diazepam (Valium). The online resource includes first-person accounts of people who successfully discontinued their use of benzodiazepines along with resources (mobile apps, websites) for the treatment of stress, anxiety, and sleep disorders. Participants in the study, men and women chosen because they had a continuous prescription for benzodiazepines lasting three or more months, were randomly assigned to receive the intervention website or usual care. All participants were given access to the website at the end of the study. The research found that the people who were given access to the website were five times more likely to stop using benzodiazepines completely than those who didn’t get the website. The results of the research study, funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Health Ser- vices Research and Development Service, were printed in the January edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association Network Open . The possibility of a similar online intervention for rural communities throughout Arkansas is being considered. NewProgram to Provide Free Fruits, Vegetables to CommunityMembers Launches Baptist Health Community Outreach and the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance are launching the Arkansas Fruit & Vegetable Prescription Program for community members. Christopher Lang, MD Jennifer Halliburton, APRN