UAMS Institute for Community Health Innovation


March 21, 2025

Fuel for Success: The Importance of Eating Breakfast

David Wise

Happy children eating breakfast

  By Sheldon Riklon, M.D. In February, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed the Free School Breakfast Bill into law to provide all children at public schools with a free breakfast, regardless of their income, starting in the 2025-2026 school year. This bill will ensure students start their school day with a nutritious meal, helping them…


March 17, 2025

UAMS and Walmart Work Together to Address Food Insecurity and Improve Wellness

David Wise

groceries spilling out of a bag

LITTLE ROCK — The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and Walmart are collaborating to increase access to nutritious food across Arkansas. Through the collaboration, participants in select research projects at the UAMS Institute for Community Health Innovation will receive Walmart Wellness Benefit cards to be specifically used at Walmart stores for various health-related…


March 13, 2025

UAMS Joins NIH Effort to Increase Rural Health Research

David Robinson

Physicians at UAMS Regional Campuses, including Jacquelene Childs, M.D., at the UAMS Family Medical Center in El Dorado, will play key roles in expanding rural research as part of the CARE for Health™ program.

LITTLE ROCK — The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) has joined a network of institutions funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to expand research in rural primary care clinics. Through the NIH CARE for Health™ initiative, UAMS will help lead innovative research to address health disparities in Arkansas’ rural areas. UAMS,…


March 10, 2025

UAMS Study Finds Excessive Weight Gain In Pregnancy Linked to Increase in C-sections

David Wise

Pregnant woman on scale

LITTLE ROCK — Researchers at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Institute for Community Health Innovation found that excessive gestational weight gain is linked to an increase in cesarean sections, according to a study published recently in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. The percentage of women in the United States who…


March 3, 2025

UAMS, AR Health Ventures Partner with Arkansas Pharmacies to Improve Diabetes Education

David Wise

Julie Stewart, a pharmacist at Medical Arts Pharmacy in Fayetteville, fills a prescription for a customer.

Pharmacies across Arkansas are offering diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES) programs as part of a collaboration with AR Health Ventures and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences’ (UAMS) Institute for Community Health Innovation to help rural, diabetic Arkansans better understand and manage their diabetes. Funded by the U.S Centers for Disease Control &…


February 26, 2025

UAMS Accepting More Applicants for Doula Scholarship Amid Passage of Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies Act

David Wise

Nicole Fletcher with Ujima conducts a doula training session.

LITTLE ROCK — The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), through its Institute for Community Health Innovation, is seeking more applicants to its doula scholarship program amid the state’s passage of the Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies Act, which paves the way for Medicaid reimbursement for doula care. Gov. Sarah Sanders signed the act into…


February 24, 2025

The Importance of Getting Vaccinated

David Wise

UAMS has opened a new vaccine clinic, offering vaccines for COVID-19 and influenza, at 401 S. Monroe St. in Little Rock.

    By Sheldon Riklon, M.D. Over the holiday season, flu activity spiked, and some Arkansans lost their lives. The COVID-19 virus is still present and continues to affect people. Vaccines are the best way to protect yourself and your loved ones from the flu, COVID-19 and other diseases. Five Reasons to Get Vaccinated Vaccines…


February 5, 2025

UAMS Study Finds Mothers Living in Rural Areas or Covered by Medicaid Less Likely to Receive Prenatal Care

David Wise

Health care technician performing an ultrasound on a pregnant women

LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas mothers who live in rural areas and/or who have a Medicaid-covered birth are less likely to receive early prenatal care or receive an adequate number of prenatal care visits, according to a study published recently by researchers at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Institute for Community Health Innovation.


February 3, 2025

UAMS to Provide HPV Vaccines, Host ‘Parent Education Night’ in El Dorado on Feb. 5

David Wise

A teenage girl receives the HPV vaccine.

LITTLE ROCK — The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) is bringing HPV vaccinations to El Dorado and surrounding areas, with a planned “Parent Education Night” on Wednesday, Feb. 5. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the human papillomavirus (HPV) is a virus that can cause cancers later in life….


January 24, 2025

UAMS Researchers Look at Challenges Faced by Cancer Survivors

David Wise

A nurse speaks to a cancer patient in the hospital

Beating cancer is always the goal, but surviving cancer can come with its own set of unique challenges, according to a recent study by researchers at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). From quality of life, survival, managing side effects, and managing economic impacts, the researchers explored the biggest cancer-related challenges faced by…



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