A grassroots effort born in Southeast Arkansas is now making waves across the entire state. The Arkansas Rural Health Partnership[1] (ARHP), a nonprofit collaborative dedicated to improving healthcare in rural communities, is expanding its reach statewide to offer high-quality care in more locations.
The ARHP is a grassroots effort born in southeast Arkansas in 2008. It has grown from five regional hospitals to more than 30 organizations. Partnership members include rural hospitals, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), medical schools, associations, and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) providers.
“Our mission has always been about collaboration,” said Mellie Boagni Bridewell, president and CEO of ARHP. “By bringing rural providers together, we can solve challenges no single hospital or clinic can tackle alone.”
Over the past year, ARHP welcomed new members from every corner of Arkansas, including White River Health in Batesville, Community Health Centers of Arkansas, Pafford Medical Services, Baptist Health Medical Centers in Arkadelphia and Hot Spring County, East Arkansas Family Health Center, Olly Neal Community Health Center, Healthy Connections, Southwest Arkansas Regional Medical Center, ARcare, and DePaul Community Health Center.
The partnership’s members provide services ranging from emergency response and primary care to behavioral health, pharmacy access, and chronic disease prevention. The organization also spearheads initiatives addressing hospital sustainability, food insecurity, and mental health.
Earlier this year, ARHP launched the Arkansas Rural Health Academy to train the next generation of healthcare providers. Through hands-on programs in Patient Care Technician (PCT), Medical Assistant (MA), EKG, and Community Health Worker (CHW) careers, the academy is helping to close workforce gaps while creating new opportunities for students across the state. To date, the academy’s Lead Nurse Educator has successfully graduated two cohorts of PCTs and one MA cohort, with another MA class beginning Sept. 30.
ARHP’s EMS Training Director is also bringing emergency medical training directly to rural Arkansas. With support from the Delta Regional Authority and the Department of Labor, these programs have already trained 70 EMTs, 68 Paramedics, and eight community paramedics.
ARHP also manages the Rural Health Association of Arkansas (RHAA), a membership-based network that provides education, advocacy, and collaboration opportunities for more than 400 rural health professionals statewide.
Related
References
- ^ Arkansas Rural Health Partnership (arruralhealth.org)