UAMS Opens Gap Services Office in McGehee
| LITTLE ROCK — The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) is opening its second Gap Services office in McGehee to provide free health services, as well as access to a food pantry, for residents of southeast Arkansas.
UAMS is celebrating the new office, located at 1609 E. Ash St. in McGehee, with an open house, complete with tours of the facility and incentivized ($10) HIV testing, from 11 to 3 p.m. on May 25. The public is invited.
Peggy Woodson, a program manager in the College of Medicine’s Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, Division of Research and Evaluation, will direct the office and be its sole staff member.
“As a lifelong resident of McGehee, I have always taken pride in my community as well as the people within the region. Working with UAMS Gap Services allows me the opportunity to provide both evidence-based information to our young adults, as well as provide tangible resources to residents who may need any of our various services. I am truly excited to be a part of such an awesome organization,” Woodson said.
Among the services that will be regularly available are preventive services for substance use disorder, rapid testing for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, general health screenings, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) digital health services, and access to the food pantry. Digital health services also will be available to all individuals who lack access to a computer and need to participate in virtual visits with a clinician or UAMS physician.
Office hours are from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. weekdays, with walk-ins and appointments accepted.
The UAMS Department of Family and Preventive Medicine continues to assess and develop ways to improve family and environmental factors that are linked with poor health, growth and psychosocial development of children and adults. The department often partners with community agencies to help underserved and vulnerable populations, and in this case is being assisted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Arkansas Department of Health and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), a branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
For more information about services at the local office, the public is invited to email Peggy Woodson at pdwoodson@uams.edu or call 870-200-2737.
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.
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