Healthcare

Medical marijuana product sales up 1.1% in April

Medical marijuana patients spent $24 million in April at the state’s 38 dispensaries to obtain 4,213 pounds, up from the 4,166 pounds sold in March. Hot Springs is home to…

Heifer International HQ sold to health education group for dental, veterinary schools

Lyon College plans to open Arkansas’ first dental and veterinary schools at Heifer International’s Little Rock headquarters, which is being sold to a private health care company based in Little…

Growing UAMS division relocates to Springdale

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) recently relocated its Office of Community Health & Research from Fayetteville to Springdale. The fast-growing division moved from its previous location on…

HealthTech Arkansas, MedAxiom partner on cardiovascular healthcare accelerator

HealthTech Arkansas and MedAxiom announced Monday (May 16) that they will collaborate on a new cardiovascular-focused healthcare accelerator called HeartX. The startup program will facilitate guaranteed hospital pilot projects and…

Southern Pharmacy in Jonesboro to build new location

Southern Pharmacy, which has branches throughout Northeast Arkansas, will build a new brick-and-mortar store in Jonesboro, according to Haag Brown Medical Holdings. Work on the new store, which will be…

Our nurses of today and tomorrow

All of us in Arkansas owe our nurses and other healthcare professionals the most sincere and genuine debt of gratitude. Even if we haven’t always taken the time to properly…

AG Rutledge sues drug manufacturers, PBMs over insulin prices

Attorney General Leslie Rutledge, R-Ark. announced Wednesday (May 11) a lawsuit against drug manufacturers and Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) for manipulating and inflating insulin and drug prices in Arkansas. In…

Ozarks Community Hospital opens walk-in lab in Bentonville

Gravette-based healthcare provider Ozarks Community Hospital (OCH) recently opened an outpatient lab in Bentonville. OCH Benton County Lab is located at 907 S.E. Village Loop, Suite 3. Karen Spout, lab…

Governor appoints interim Health secretary, new director of Health Department

Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Thursday (May 5) announced that Renee Mallory will serve as interim Secretary of Health, while Dr. Jennifer Dillaha will serve as director of the Department of…

While student loan debt grabs spotlight, medical debt looms large

As the debate swirls around the potential for student loan debt forgiveness, a lesser-recognized but nonetheless persistent form of debt — medical debt — is getting a lot of attention…

AHA says hospitals had $15.2 billion impact in 2020

Arkansas hospitals had an estimated annual economic impact of more than $15.2 billion in 2020, and they directly provide 47,300 jobs with a total payroll of almost $3.7 billion, according…

Arkansas to receive about $61 million from tobacco companies in 2022

Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge announced Monday (April 25) that money from the Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) with tobacco companies will be distributed, with Arkansas receiving nearly $61 million. The…

Alice L. Walton Foundation, Washington Regional partner on new healthcare system

The nonprofit Alice L. Walton Foundation (ALWF) in Bentonville and Washington Regional Medical System in Fayetteville are planning to create a new regional health system that will also involve the…

Two Arkansas Children’s researchers awarded trust funding

Arkansas Children’s Research Institute has awarded two medical scientists up to $75,000 each to fund their ongoing work. Drs. Akilah Jefferson and Jennifer Rumple are the 2022 Marion B. Lyon…

St. Bernards part of virtual reality treatment pilot program

Retirees at St. Bernards Villa have started participating in a pilot physical therapy program using a special virtual reality (VR) system built, in part, for senior care facilities. St. Bernards…

Arkansas medical marijuana sales post slight decline in March report

Arkansas medical marijuana sales totaled $24.1 million in March, down 0.73% based on sales tax revenue. The state’s 38 licensed dispensaries sold 4,166 pounds in March, according to figures from…

Lyon College has preliminary plans to open dental and veterinary schools

Lyon College, founded as Arkansas College in 1872 in downtown Batesville, may be expanding the number of schools in its system. The school is developing plans for proposed veterinary and…

AACF report: Policies should seek health equity for Black women

Black women in Arkansas face health challenges as a result of a history of discrimination and unconscious bias, so health policies should intentionally and aggressively seek to create health equity,…

Walton family to invest $225 million for fitness, childcare centers on Walmart HQ campus

Two buildings to open by the end of 2023 on Walmart’s new corporate campus in Bentonville are a 360,000-square-foot fitness center and a 73,000-square-foot childcare center. The Walton family is…

Dr. Stephen Woodruff takes over as chief medical officer at NEA Baptist Health System

After a 40-year career in outpatient clinical work, Dr. Stephen Woodruff has been appointed as the full-time chief medical officer of NEA Baptist Health System. He will lead the day-to-day…