Healthcare

NIH director tours AWSOM, applauds focus on whole health

Dr. Monica Bertagnolli, director of the National Institutes of Health, was in Bentonville on Tuesday (Oct. 22) to get an update on the Alice Walton School of Medicine (AWSOM) and…

Walmart adds same-day delivery on prescriptions in Arkansas, other states

Walmart announced Tuesday (Oct. 22) it is delivering medications from its pharmacies in Arkansas, Missouri, New York, Nevada, South Carolina and Wisconsin. The retail giant said the service would be…

Heartland Forward pushing progress on AI, telehealth, career readiness

It’s been a busy fall for the folks at Bentonville-based Heartland Forward, the policy think tank. Three major initiatives were announced between late August and early October involving artificial intelligence,…

NIH director tours ACHE research facility; praises the ‘academic freedom’

National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Dr. Monica Bertagnolli expressed her excitement at work and research being conducted by the Arkansas Colleges of Health Education during a tour of its…

UA professor to study bias with $3.4 million federal grant

Anastasia Makhanova, a psychology professor at the University of Arkansas, has been awarded a $3.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health. She will use the money to lead…

Arkansas Supreme Court rules medical marijuana votes won’t be counted

Votes for the Medical Marijuana Amendment of 2024 will not be counted after the Arkansas Supreme Court ruled Monday (Oct. 21) that the popular name and ballot title were misleading….

NIH awards Arkansas Children’s Research Institute $2.9 million for cystic fibrosis

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded $2.9 million to Arkansas Children’s Research Institute (ACRI) to examine how a critical therapy for patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) might become…

Hachem gives $1 million to Arkansas Children’s Northwest expansion

Laurice Hachem, a philanthropist and real estate investor, has donated $1 million to the Arkansas Children’s Northwest expansion project, the Little Rock-based health care system announced Tuesday (Oct. 15). Hachem,…

UALR receives $5 million for training, education to combat drug use

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has received $5 million in federal funding to address the drug and opioid crisis among youth in Arkansas. The award comes from appropriations…

Consumer prices rose 2.4% in September

The prices of most goods and services ticked higher in September. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) was up 2.4% from the year-ago period, according to Thursday’s (Oct. 10) report from…

Sebastian County task force receives grant for opioid, substance abuse prevention

The Sebastian County Opioid Task Force will receive a $625,000 federal grant from the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) under the Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support Program….

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…