Healthcare

Mercy opens 65 Prime+ clinic in Fort Smith

Mercy has opened a 65 Prime+ clinic in Fort Smith that is focused on providing care to Medicare patients age 65 and older. The hospital system says it’s the first…

A cautionary tale about private equity and healthcare

This summer the state’s healthcare industry suffered its first visible bruise from the clenched fists of private equity. Two hospitals serving Arkansas residents, Wadley Regional Medical Center facilities in Hope…

Supreme Court orders signature count on medical marijuana measure

The day after an advocacy group filed a lawsuit over the rejection of its signatures, the Arkansas Supreme Court on Wednesday (Oct. 2) ordered the disputed signatures of a proposed…

Heartland Forward to expand telehealth access in Arkansas, Oklahoma

Heartland Forward, a Bentonville-based policy think tank, has launched an initiative to expand telehealth access in Arkansas and Oklahoma by teaching area librarians how to prepare residents for a telehealth…

NIH awards UAMS $3.7 million for more effective TB vaccine

UAMS researcher Lu Huang, Ph.D., has received a $3.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support his pursuit of a more effective tuberculosis (TB) vaccine. The…

Secretary of State Thurston disqualifies medical marijuana amendment; advocacy group plans lawsuit (Update)

Arkansas Secretary of State John Thurston on Monday (Sept. 30) informed representatives of a group seeking to make changes to the state’s medical marijuana amendment that it had failed to…

UAMS bringing ‘Dreamland’ author Sam Quinones to Arkansas for conversation on substance abuse

Award-winning author and journalist Sam Quinones will offer an in-depth look at the world of substance use and its disruptive effects on the U.S. in a presentation hosted by the…

Organizations look to art to improve health outcomes

The Alice L. Walton Foundation, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, and Heartland Whole Health Institute are collaborating with Arkansas Children’s Northwest to explore ways the arts can improve health…

Alice Walton, Mercy to invest $700 million in health care; build NWA cardiac, outpatient centers

The Alice L. Walton Foundation, Mercy, and Heartland Whole Health Institute have reached a 30-year agreement and will invest $700 million to expand access to health care, reduce costs, and…

Triad Eye Institute acquires Vold Vision’s NWA operations, 2 clinics

Tulsa-based Triad Eye Institute recently acquired the Northwest Arkansas operations of Vold Vision, purchased its Fayetteville clinic for $12.5 million and leased another in Bentonville. Dr. Steven Vold of Vold…

UAMS receives $2.2 million grant to study immune response to eye disease

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) received a five-year $2,195,685 federal grant to study how modulating the body’s immune response may potentially benefit patients with certain eye diseases….

UAMS study to address maternal, infant deaths with $2.4 million federal grant

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) will receive up to $2.4 million over the next four years to test prevention strategies for reducing high rates of maternal and…

Nelms Dyslexia Center opens in Fayetteville

Fayetteville nonprofit Nelms Dyslexia Center recently opened in a 10,500-square-foot building that was formerly a guitar store. The center provides dyslexia assessments, reading therapy, teacher training and information for families….

Medical reimbursement rates, physician recruitment a challenge in Northwest Arkansas

Arkansas is at the bottom of the barrel for Medicaid, commercial insurance, and self-insured employer reimbursement rates paid to healthcare providers, according to Larry Shackelford, CEO of Washington Regional Medical…

UAMS receives $5 million to reduce infant mortality rates

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) has received a $5 million Congressional appropriation to coordinate efforts across the state to reduce infant mortality. Dr. Nirvana Manning, professor and…

Blue & You Foundation awards nearly $1 million for maternal and pediatric health

The Blue & You Foundation for a Healthier Arkansas awarded nearly $1 million to organizations across the state working to address maternal and pediatric health. Arkansas has one of the…

Arkansas Rural Health Partnership launches training academy

The Arkansas Rural Health Partnership (ARHP) launched the Arkansas Rural Health Academy to meet “critical, in-demand” training needs of rural health member organizations across the state. The Arkansas Rural Health…

Food insecurity on the rise in Arkansas

Food insecurity has increased this year and the Arkansas Foodbank is asking residents to take action in response to the alarming increase in food insecurity across the state. The U.S….

Pioneering Fayetteville physician, former state legislator Dr. Morriss Henry dies at 92

Dr. Morriss Murphey Henry, a pioneer in eye care, former state legislator, and longtime community servant, died Sunday at the age of 92. Henry, born in Fort Smith, was the…

State of the State Mid-Year 2024: Medical providers pinched by disparity in costs, payments

Arkansas health care providers are facing increasing costs without matching payment increases from government payers and insurance companies. It’s a major issue in a state that ranks near the bottom…