HJLR May/Jun 2019

38 MAY / JUN 2019  I  Healthcare Journal of little rock   Healthcare Briefs Department of Pharmacy Practice and has served in those positions since 2015. Clark earned a doctor of pharmacy degree and a master’s degree in public health in 2014, both from UAMS. In 2015, she completed an ambula- tory care residency at UAMS. DHSMoving to Help Defendants Access Needed Behavioral Health Services The Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) Division of Aging, Adult, and Behavioral Health Services (DAABHS) is launching a new pro- cess to connect criminal defendants with needed mental health and substance abuse services as part of a larger effort to improve the forensic sys- tem in Arkansas.  Last year, DHS began analyzing the foren- sics system–the system for individuals for whom courts or attorneys request mental evaluations as part of a criminal proceeding–as it grappled with timely completion and filing of court-ordered evaluations. DHS identified three goals during its review of the system, along with steps to quickly achieve those goals. They are: • Goal 1: Ensure defendants get needed behav- ioral health services throughout the legal pro- cess, and, regardless of whether or not they were found mentally fit to proceed with a trial, - Create a new path for courts to refer a per- son for treatment without going through the forensic system or Arkansas State Hos- pital. Today there is no simple way for this to happen. - Require that treatment recommendations accompany all mental health evaluations, which will create a formal process connect- ing defendants to treatment that does not exist today. • Goal 2: Improve timeliness and quality of court- ordered forensic evaluations. - Institute new rate structure for outpatient evaluations.    - Institute quality reviews prior to court submission.   - Map process and create new case mile- stones and deadlines. • Goal 3: Improve communications from DAABHS with courts and attorneys.  - Add a legal team to work with courts and provide regular updates.  - Move to electronic records. “One of the things we realized was that there was no formal process for ensuring that defen- dants who had identified behavioral health issues, such as a substance abuse problem, could get the help they needed unless they were found men- tally unfit for trial,” said Deb Inman, DAAHBS forensics administrator. “But if we can address their issues, hopefully we can prevent them from coming back into the criminal court system.” Dr. Floyd Gonzalez of De Queen Recognized for Contributions to HPV Vaccination The Arkansas Department of Health and the Arkansas Immunization Action Coalition (Immu- nizeAR) congratulate Floyd Gonzalez, MD, a pri- vate practicing pediatrician in De Queen, Ark., for receiving the HPV Vaccine Is Cancer Prevention Champion Award for outstanding efforts to pro- tect adolescents from cancers caused by HPV in Arkansas. Gonzalez is recognized for his efforts to achieve high HPV vaccination rates in his practice. Led in partnership by Centers for Disease Con- trol and Prevention (CDC), Association of Ameri- can Cancer Institutes, and the American Cancer Society the HPV Vaccine Is Cancer Prevention Champion Award Program recognizes clinicians, clinics, practices, groups, and health systems that are going above and beyond to foster HPV vac- cination in their community. This year, the award program is honoring champions from 32 states. Gonzalez has been a practicing pediatrician for more than 20 years and is well respected in his community. He has achieved high HPV vaccination rates through effectively communicat- ing the benefits of HPV vaccination and answer- ing parents’ questions in both English and Span- ish to ensure that all of the parents in his practice have the information they need to feel comfort- able in their decision to vaccinate their child.  HPV vaccine is important because it protects against cancers caused by human papillomavi- rus (HPV) infection. HPV is a very common virus; nearly 80 million people are currently infected with it in the United States. Every year in the United States, 33,700 women and men are diag- nosed with a cancer caused by HPV infection. HPV vaccination could prevent more than 90 percent of these cancers—about 31,000—from occurring. Both boys and girls should start the HPV vaccine series when they are 11 or 12 years old and finish all recommended doses before they turn age 13. The HPV vaccine series can be started as early as age nine. Every year, the award honors one cham- pion from all 50 states in America, eight U.S. Ter- ritories and Freely Associated States, and the Dis- trict of Columbia. Immunization programs submit nominations for the HPV Vaccine is Cancer Pre- vention Champion in their state or territory. Nom- inees must be a clinician, clinic, practice, group, or health system that treats adolescents as part of their overall patient population and must have an HPV vaccine series completion rate at 60 percent or higher for their adolescent patient population. UAMS Researchers Lead First Rapid Sequencing of Multiple Viruses Using Pocket-Sized Device An international team of researchers led by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) is the first to deploy a pocket-sized nano- pore device for rapid genetic sequencing of mul- tiple human viruses. The findings are published in the journal Fron- tiers in Microbiology, the world’s most cited microbiology journal. UAMS’ Thidathip (Tip) Wongsurawat, PhD, and Piroon Jenjaroenpun, PhD, developed the technique, setting the stage for rapid, mobile virus tracking in rural regions across the globe. They were joined by collaborators from UAMS, including David W. Ussery, PhD, a professor in the Department of Biomedical Informatics, College of Melissa Clark, PharmD, MPH