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Chancellor Barnes speaks to employees at UAMS South Regional Campus.
Image by Andrea Hooten
Barnes Touts Importance of Hospitality at El Dorado Visit
| C. Lowry Barnes, M.D., the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences’ (UAMS) chancellor, recently walked into the family medical clinic at the UAMS South Regional Campus in El Dorado, prepared to shake hands, answer questions, and encourage staff with plans for growth.
What he didn’t expect was the level of encouragement he’d receive from them.
UAMS South employees join Chancellor Barnes with copies of the book “Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect.”Andrea Hooten
A group of employees showed up with a copy of “Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect,” a book by Will Guidara that bolstered Barnes’ campaign to build a culture of hospitality at UAMS. The book was recommended by the UAMS book club, led by provost and chief strategy officer Stephanie Gardner, Pharm.D., Ed.D. The employees brought the books to the town hall to show support for the chancellor’s new initiative.
Before the meeting, Barnes heard about a staff member at the UAMS South Family Medical Clinic who recently exemplified hospitality. He was told that patient representative Blanche Greer spotted a patient struggling with her iPad for check-in.
“She came out to the waiting room, sat next to her, and helped her work through that. Your peers recognize your hospitality, and that’s what we want,” Barnes said.
The chancellor next pivoted the discussion to growth and the financial challenges facing the institution, even more so in rural areas of the state such as
Physicians who practice at UAMS El Dorado Family Medical Clinic introduce themselvesAndrea Hooten
south Arkansas. Several questions centered around barriers for rural health, such as lack of transportation and retention of practitioners.
Barnes said it’s likely more practitioners will stay in south Arkansas with the start of a family medicine rural track residency at UAMS South. The regional campus will welcome its first class of four residents this July, eventually expanding the program to 12 residents by the 2028-2029 academic year.
Research from the UAMS Regional Campuses shows that, of the 1,600 residents trained at regional campuses, more than 50% go on to practice in the state. This boosts the number of primary care physicians easily accessible to patients in rural Arkansas.
“It’s incredible. Workforce enhancement works through regional campuses, so we’re committed to it. It’s what our state needs. If we train residents here, there’s a good chance, just like you, they’ll practice here,” Barnes said.
Cancer patient navigator asks about transportation issues for those who can’t drive to appointments.Andrea Hooten
He also held a listening session with the El Dorado team on the new strategic plan called ASPIRE 2033. Gardner and Kristie Hadden, Ph.D., facilitated the meeting. The team previously held a
listening session at UAMS Northwest Regional Campus and plans to conduct others at the remaining regional campuses soon.
Barnes then spoke with 17 community leaders and UAMS alumni