The March of Dimes released its 2024 Report Card giving Arkansas an “F” grade for its current state of maternal and infant health.
According to the report, Arkansas has the highest infant mortality rate and one of the highest preterm birth rates in the country. In 2023, Arkansas’s infant mortality rate was 7.7%, and 12.1% of babies in Arkansas were born preterm. Both figures are significantly above the national average, placing Arkansas mothers and newborns at great risk.
Tuberculosis (TB) is on the rise in Arkansas for adult and pediatric populations. Arkansas Department of Health has recorded over 100 cases in the state as of Nov. 1, 2024, which is the first time in 15 years Arkansas has surpassed 100 TB cases in a year.
TB is an airborne infection caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The bacteria usually attack the lungs, but TB bacteria can attack any part of the body, such as the kidney, spine, and brain. Not everyone infected with TB bacteria becomes sick. The disease can be fatal, though, if not treated properly.
The inaugural recipient and steward of the Sasha and Terry Freeman Endowed Chair in Healthcare Administration and Executive Leadership is Arkansas Children’s president and chief executive officer, Marcy Doderer, FACHE.
Terry and Sasha Freeman of Russellville donated $1 million to establish the endowed chair, and it has been matched by a $1 million grant from the Arkansas Children’s legacy match campaign.
The public is invited to visit the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) All of Us Journey, a traveling, hands-on exhibit, at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Little Rock campus Nov. 12-15.
The exhibit, located at 324 W. Campus Drive, will be open to the public from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. each day.
The All of Us exhibit visits communities across the United States, featuring interactive activities, videos, games, quizzes, and more — all designed to demonstrate the power of participation in health research.
The Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center (ACNC) is celebrating three decades of discoveries that have helped children around the world grow up healthier and stronger.
ACNC was established in 1994 through congressional appropriation of USDA funding and today has a portfolio of large-scale studies exploring how maternal diet, physical activity, and early feeding practices influence a child’s growth and development.
