By: Amy Maxmen, KFF Health News January 22, 2026 Louisiana Illuminator
After a year of ongoing measles outbreaks that have sickened more than 2,400 people, the United States is poised to lose its status as a measles-free country. However, the newly appointed principal deputy director at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Ralph Abraham, said he was unbothered by the prospect at a briefing for journalists this week.
Baptist Health Foundation announced the appointment of four new members to its board of trustees for 2026: Ted Garrison, Wes Martin, SaraCate Moery, and Ross Owyoung.
Ted Garrison is a graduate of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and serves as a senior project manager at CDI Contractors. Garrison is involved with Baptist Health Foundation, serving on the Bolo Bash Golf Tournament Committee, and also dedicates his time to the Saline County Career & Technical Campus Advisory Board.
The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences’ (UAMS) Institute for Digital Health & Innovation has received a five-year, $3,183,174 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to create a program in Little Rock schools to help students learn better communication skills, including conflict resolution, relationship building and critical decision-making.
By:Andrew DeMillo January 15, 2026 Arkansas Advocate
A nursing home owner who was pardoned by President Donald Trump has been paroled in Arkansas, less than a month after he was ordered to a state prison.
Joseph Schwartz was granted parole by the Arkansas Post Prison Transfer Board, according to an email sent Thursday by a notification system that tells the public about an offender’s change in status.
The Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) has named four new members and one returning member to its Board of Advisors.
The new members, who will serve three three-year terms that run through May 2034, are Anna Lee Powell, Bobbi McDaniel, Denny Sumpter, and Mary Ashleigh Harper. Ray Dillon rejoins the board after serving from 2014 to 2024. These five individuals will join the 32-member board, led by Hatim Smouni, who serves as the board’s chair.
