Osteopathic School Hold Dedication and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
The Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine held a formal opening recently with a dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony at the newly built facility in Fort Smith.
Work began on the school – a three-story, 102,000-square-foot-building – in February 2015 for the $32.4 million facility. The college is expected to serve about 600 students, and each class will have 150 students, beginning with the first class in August 2017.
This is the second osteopathic school to open in Arkansas, as the NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine recently opened on the campus of Arkansas State University in Jonesboro.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson was among those who addressed the crowd at the ceremony and gave the keynote address.
Community Health Centers of Arkansas has been engaged with leaders of the schools development to promote collaboration between the school and community health centers. Some community health centers are collaborating with the school to serve as possible rotation sites for students to do clinical practice.
The Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine received provisional accreditation status from the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) on July 1. COCA is the only accrediting agency which is recognized by the United States Department of Education (USDE) for accrediting institutions regarding predoctoral education of osteopathic physicians in the United States.
Click here for more information about the school.
Work began on the school – a three-story, 102,000-square-foot-building – in February 2015 for the $32.4 million facility. The college is expected to serve about 600 students, and each class will have 150 students, beginning with the first class in August 2017.
This is the second osteopathic school to open in Arkansas, as the NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine recently opened on the campus of Arkansas State University in Jonesboro.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson was among those who addressed the crowd at the ceremony and gave the keynote address.
Community Health Centers of Arkansas has been engaged with leaders of the schools development to promote collaboration between the school and community health centers. Some community health centers are collaborating with the school to serve as possible rotation sites for students to do clinical practice.
The Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine received provisional accreditation status from the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) on July 1. COCA is the only accrediting agency which is recognized by the United States Department of Education (USDE) for accrediting institutions regarding predoctoral education of osteopathic physicians in the United States.
Click here for more information about the school.
Arkansas CHCs Awarded $1.2 Million for Quality Improvement
Community Health Centers in Arkansas recently received more than $1.2 million in funding to invest in health center quality improvement, building on their achievements in providing high quality comprehensive care, according to a news release by the U.S. Health and Human Services Department. These funds will be used to improve primary care service delivery in the communities they serve, as well as expanding current quality improvement systems and infrastructure.
Community health centers are receiving these funds based upon high levels of performance in one or more of the following categories: Improving Quality of Care, Advancing Health Equity, Maintaining Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) Recognition, Enhancing Access to Care, and Delivering Value. This funding comes from the Affordable Care Act’s Community Health Center (CHC) Fund, which was extended with bipartisan support in the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) of 2015.
The 11 community health center organizations in the Arkansas Primary Care Association combined to earn more than $900,000 in funding, including:
Another community health center in Arkansas, not included in the Primary Care Association, also received funding. ARcare was awarded $324,211.
Click here for more information about the awards. To learn more about community health centers in Arkansas and to find one near you, click here.
Community health centers are receiving these funds based upon high levels of performance in one or more of the following categories: Improving Quality of Care, Advancing Health Equity, Maintaining Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) Recognition, Enhancing Access to Care, and Delivering Value. This funding comes from the Affordable Care Act’s Community Health Center (CHC) Fund, which was extended with bipartisan support in the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) of 2015.
The 11 community health center organizations in the Arkansas Primary Care Association combined to earn more than $900,000 in funding, including:
- 1st Choice Healthcare – $80,505;
- Boston Mountain Rural Health Center – $69,996;
- CABUN Rural Health Services – $65,000;
- Community Clinic – $145,244;
- East Arkansas Family Health Center – $104,111;
- Healthy Connections – $85,969;
- Jefferson Comprehensive Care System – $23,205;
- Lee County Cooperative Clinic – $29,709;
- Mainline Health Systems – $82,930
- River Valley Primary Care Services – $78,685
Another community health center in Arkansas, not included in the Primary Care Association, also received funding. ARcare was awarded $324,211.
Click here for more information about the awards. To learn more about community health centers in Arkansas and to find one near you, click here.
Arkansas Health Center Controlled Network Receives $500K Grant
Community Health Centers in the state will be able to continue their efforts in health information technology, as the Arkansas Health Center Controlled Network (AHCCN) received a $500,000 grant as part of the funding recently announced by Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell.
The AHCCN is made up of all 11 Community Health Centers of Arkansas members and works to improve access to care, enhance quality of care and achieve cost efficiencies through the redesign of practices to integrate services, optimize patient outcomes, or negotiate managed care contracts on behalf of participating health centers. One of the major focuses the AHCCN will have as a result of this grant is to enhance comprehensive, integrated data collection, analysis, and reporting.
“Health Center Controlled Networks are a key tool in providing quality primary care to medically underserved communities,” Burwell said in a news release. “By using these networks, individual health centers can work together to share resources, leverage buying power, and improve access to health information technology, leading to a better care experience for vulnerable populations.”
According to a news release, the networks promote enhanced information sharing and support health centers in achieving the requirements of the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs using Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC)-certified EHRs, adopting technology-enabled quality improvement strategies, and engaging in health information exchange.
In all, more than $36 million in funding for 50 networks in 41 states and Puerto Rico was awarded. This will impact more than 1,020 health center organizations, according to a news release. Click here to see a list of all the award recipients.
For more information about Community Health Centers of Arkansas, visit www.chc-ar.org. To find a Community Health Center near you, click here.
The AHCCN is made up of all 11 Community Health Centers of Arkansas members and works to improve access to care, enhance quality of care and achieve cost efficiencies through the redesign of practices to integrate services, optimize patient outcomes, or negotiate managed care contracts on behalf of participating health centers. One of the major focuses the AHCCN will have as a result of this grant is to enhance comprehensive, integrated data collection, analysis, and reporting.
“Health Center Controlled Networks are a key tool in providing quality primary care to medically underserved communities,” Burwell said in a news release. “By using these networks, individual health centers can work together to share resources, leverage buying power, and improve access to health information technology, leading to a better care experience for vulnerable populations.”
According to a news release, the networks promote enhanced information sharing and support health centers in achieving the requirements of the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs using Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC)-certified EHRs, adopting technology-enabled quality improvement strategies, and engaging in health information exchange.
In all, more than $36 million in funding for 50 networks in 41 states and Puerto Rico was awarded. This will impact more than 1,020 health center organizations, according to a news release. Click here to see a list of all the award recipients.
For more information about Community Health Centers of Arkansas, visit www.chc-ar.org. To find a Community Health Center near you, click here.
Community Health Centers of Arkansas CARES Video Series
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Part 5: Services for Everyone
Part 4: Economic Engine
Part 3: Real People Solving Real Problems
Part 2: Accessible and Affordable Video
Part 1: Community Focused Video
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Video Series is Complete!
It's now time for the fourth installment of the Community Health Centers of Arkansas CARES Video Series, which deals with the health centers being an economic engine. Many of our community health centers are in areas where there aren't many job opportunities, so the health centers help serve as a place for employment. The health centers also put a lot of money into the economy through its business with other groups. On top of that, the health centers help ensure the community is healthy and able to work, so there are many economic impacts by our health centers! We hope you enjoy this video, and be sure to catch up on any you may have missed! This is the fourth of a five-part series. Through this series, we hope you can understand more about the vital role community health centers play and some of the key qualities about these community health centers. There is so much that could be said about the community health centers, but here is the first of a five-part series that takes a look at what the community health centers are all about. These videos are broken down by the acrostic "CARES": C- Community Focused A- Accessible and Affordable R- Real People Solving Real Problems E-Economic Engine S-Services for Everyone These are some of the many important aspects of our community health centers that hopefully lead you to the conclusion that these health centers can be YOUR provider of choice. Enjoy the videos, and be sure to check out more about the community health centers and find one near you! Stay tuned for the final video from this series coming soon! |
Community Health Centers of Arkansas Calendar
COMING SOON! Check out a list of events, training opportunities, etc.
