UAMS Institute for Community Health Innovation


April 11, 2025

UAMS and Partners Building CHW Workforce Amid Passage of the Community Health Worker Act

David Wise

A community health worker speaks with a member of the public

LITTLE ROCK — The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Institute for Community Health Innovation and its partners are continuing to build the state’s community health worker workforce following Gov. Sarah Sanders’ signing of House Bill 1258 on April 3, establishing the Community Health Worker Act. The act formally establishes the role of a…


April 2, 2025

UAMS Offers Diabetes Education to Health Care Providers in the Marshall Islands

News Staff

A group of Marshallese health care workers pose with their certificates from a The institute launched its Family-Model Diabetes-Self-Management Education & Support (FDSMES) education program.

With support from the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) Ministry of Health & Human Services, members of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences’ (UAMS) Northwest Regional Campus and the Institute for Community Health Innovation visited the Marshall Islands this month to provide training to community health workers (CHWs) and doctors on diabetes curriculum and pharmaceutical advancements.


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.



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