UAMS’ South Central Center on Aging Celebrates 10 Years Serving Region
| LITTLE ROCK — The South Central Center on Aging in Pine Bluff today celebrated a decade of service in its 10-county region of south Arkansas, having grown from serving 5,600 people in its first year to 16,500 in its 10th year.
The center, part of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), is one of nine Centers on Aging throughout the state operated by the Arkansas Aging Initiative, a program of UAMS’ Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging.
“The South Central Center on Aging has been a leader in clinical and educational programs,” said Claudia Beverly, R.N., Ph.D., director of the Arkansas Aging Initiative. “The leadership of Dr. Dale Terrell and Theresa Horton has resulted in a strong partnership with Jefferson Regional Medical Center and the many community partners that includes the Area Agency on Aging. The number of older adults served continues to grow, and they enjoy better health.”
The center serves residents of Arkansas, Cleveland, Desha, Drew, Grant, Hot Spring, Jefferson, Lincoln, Lonoke and Saline counties.
The center provides quality, evidence-based geriatric care and educational programs and participates in dozens of area health fairs. Whether at its facility in the I-530 Medical Mall, a grocery store or a church, these health fairs meet older adults in the places they frequent most. Older adults and their loved ones receive screenings, including blood pressure and memory, and information on everything from chronic disease management to depression to exercise.
The center places equal emphasis on training the next generation of medical professionals, serving as a training site for medical residents and nursing students as well as students from other disciplines in providing medical and mental health care for older adults in south central Arkansas. It also provides home health aide and certified nursing assistant (CNA) training through the Schmieding Home Caregiver Training Program.
The center’s Senior Health Clinic, in partnership with Jefferson Regional Medical Center, allows better access to Interprofessional geriatric services for patients who may not live close to a hospital, physician specialist or therapy resources. It offers patient services at the clinic site, in the hospital, nursing home and, when warranted, in the home. The success of the Senior Health Clinic is evident in the more than 5,000 patient visits last year, up from 662 in the first year of operation.
UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a main campus in Little Rock; a Northwest Arkansas regional campus in Fayetteville; a statewide network of regional campuses; and eight institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Psychiatric Research Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, Translational Research Institute, Institute for Digital Health & Innovation and the Institute for Community Health Innovation. UAMS includes UAMS Health, a statewide health system that encompasses all of UAMS’ clinical enterprise. UAMS is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 3,275 students, 890 medical residents and fellows, and five dental residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 12,000 employees, including 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS, its regional campuses, Arkansas Children’s, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube or Instagram.###