Health care

Walmart to raise pay for opticians, pharmacists

Walmart will raise pay for more than 4,000 opticians at its U.S. eye care centers to an average wage of $22.50 an hour. The increase does not include Sam’s Club….

Arkansas medical marijuana spending spikes on April 20; sales up 5.1%

Average per day spending on medical marijuana in Arkansas is $787,000, but that tally toked higher to more than $2 million on April 20, a date – 4/20 – associated…

Medical industry to move from ‘sick’ care to focus on ‘health’ care

A paradigm shift in the way medical care is paid for and administered will occur during the next decade or so, healthcare consultant Eric Shell told Talk Business & Politics….

HealthTech Arkansas, MedAxiom launch 2nd accelerator

HealthTech Arkansas and MedAxiom have launched year two of HeartX, a cardiovascular-focused healthcare accelerator that facilitates guaranteed hospital pilot projects and clinical trials for accomplished, early-stage companies bringing new cardiovascular…

St. Bernards to offer expanded infusion services in Pocahontas

St. Bernards Medical Center has revamped and expanded infusion services in Randolph County through a partnership with St. Bernards Five Rivers. The services, now provided at St. Bernards Infusion Center…

Northwest Health promotes Chris Blair to CEO of Bentonville hospital

Chris Blair is the new CEO of Northwest Medical Center-Bentonville. The hospital is an affiliate of Springdale-based Northwest Health. Blair had been the hospital’s interim CEO since March 7 and…

UAMS, Baptist Health open new cancer clinic in LR; infusion center coming this fall

Baptist Health and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) on Thursday (May 18) held a ribbon cutting ceremony to commemorate the opening of a new cancer clinic and…

Auxiliary raises $1.4 million to help Arkansas Children’s Hospital

The Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH) Auxiliary donated $1.4 million to ACH to support programs and research initiatives for the hospital, marking the 13th consecutive year the ACH Auxiliary has raised…

Karen Labonte named Chief Nursing Officer at Unity Health

Unity Health has hired Karen Labonte, MSN, as its Chief Nursing Officer, effective May 30. Labonte will lead nursing services across the Unity Health enterprise. Labonte brings more than 40…

Arkansas Children’s CEO hopes to open expanded facilities by 2026

Arkansas Children’s CEO Marcy Doderer said expansion plans in central and northwest Arkansas are being driven by different factors and she’s optimistic that new facilities can be in service by…

Arkansas group receives $1 million grant to study Delta health, economic outcomes

A coalition of organizations in Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi will use a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation to promote improved and equitable health and economic outcomes in…

National health advocacy groups ask governor to pause Medicaid disenrollment process

A coalition of 23 national health-related nonprofits expressed concern Thursday (May 11) over Arkansas’ early Medicaid disenrollment numbers and called on Gov. Sarah Sanders to pause the process. The governor’s…

Namida Lab wins gold at 2023 Edison Awards

Fayetteville-based Namida Lab recently won gold at the 2023 Edison Awards for the at-home breast health test Auria. According to a news release, Auria was named the winner in the…

Disenrolled Medicaid recipients have grace period, can reapply afterwards

Arkansas’ Medicaid program announced Monday (May 8) that it had disenrolled 72,802 individuals – the first major removal in three years that is occurring because of the end of the…

Arkansas Center for Independence completes Newport disabilities facility

Jane Parnell was a longtime educator in the Newport area and when she died her family had a decision to make about her estate. She had a nephew with intellectual…

UAMS receives $5.5M for outreach and training programs in rural, underserved communities

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) has received a $5.5 million supplemental award from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to fund training and outreach programs…

State disenrolls 44,667 extended Medicaid beneficiaries; 72,802 total

The Arkansas Department of Human Services said it disenrolled 44,667 Medicaid beneficiaries whose coverage had been extended because of the COVID-19 public health emergency in the month of April –…

Arkansas Children’s announces $318M expansion plan

Little Rock-based pediatric healthcare organization Arkansas Children’s is planning a $318 million expansion to increase child healthcare in Arkansas. The company shared details Friday (May 5) in a news release….

AWSOM fills assistant dean slots, hires additional faculty

The Alice L. Walton School of Medicine (AWSOM) in Bentonville announced Thursday (May 4) the hiring of four assistant deans: Ken Hopper; Assistant Dean for Health Systems Science Education Dan…

UAMS researchers analyze financial burdens for cancer survivors

A research group led by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) found that female cancer survivors on public health insurance dealt with more financial strains than those on…