A new state law puts Arkansas doctors who work with transgender youth in a difficult bind: They must either stop providing what they consider to be life-saving medication to their young patients or risk losing their medical license. House Bill…
On Sunday, April 4, around 4:30 p.m., Little Rock 911 received an emergency call placed from the campus of Baptist Health Medical Center. The caller, Rowdie Adams, was a flight paramedic on a medevac helicopter transporting a patient to Baptist,…
With Medicaid work requirements a nonstarter for the Biden administration, Arkansas officials are planning big changes to the Medicaid expansion program. But key details of the proposal remain vague.
Meanwhile, a breakdown of total adult vaccination rates by county showed stark disparities across the state. Franklin County and Cleveland County have provided at least one dose to almost 19.8% of people ages 16 and up. The lowest rates were in Miller County, at 3.8%, and Hempstead County, at 6.6%.
Arkansas will not request a continuation of its controversial “work requirements” policy when it applies for federal approval to renew Arkansas Works, the state’s Medicaid expansion program, according to a spokesperson for the state Department of Human Services. But in…
As thousands more Arkansans test positive for COVID-19 each day and the number of available intensive care unit beds in the state’s hospitals dwindles, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences is beginning the next phase of its surge plan.…
“There was a couple of weeks when I was at work where the only time we had an ICU bed open up was when a patient would pass,” Dr. Teresa Bau said. “And then, it was instantly snatched up. That was a really grim week for me.”
The request — for five intensive care unit (ICU) beds and five general medical-surgical beds — was made Wednesday to the Federal Emergency Management Agency and announced Thursday by the governor at a press conference.
“We cannot possibly continue at the current rates of exponential growth in the community,” the doctor said. “It’s not sustainable. I believe we’re looking at 10 days of wiggle room before there is nowhere to go and we’re looking at those sorts of crazy scenarios where there’s patients lined up in the hallway.”
Baxter Regional Medical Center has not yet had a confirmed case of COVID-19, but the Mountain Home hospital is nevertheless feeling the impacts of the pandemic.
As the COVID-19 crisis unfolds, the Arkansas Department of Human Services is relaxing certain policies that have led to the removal of tens of thousands of Arkansans from the state’s Medicaid rolls in recent years. Around 11,000 beneficiaries whose coverage was terminated at the end of last month have now been reinstated. Many more will be reinstated as the state works to implement guidance from the federal government.
Arkansas funeral home staff and coroners' offices prepare for a rising death count.
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