Community | UAMS Rural Health Hub | UAMS Regional Campuses

Community Programs for Senior Arkansans

The UAMS Centers on Aging is a network of seven regional centers working to improve the quality of life for older adults and their families. Senior Arkansans can access local, specialized educational and clinical care through UAMS Regional Campuses, regional hospitals, Area Agencies in Aging, local colleges and universities. The program is a part of the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging.

Community Programs for Seniors

School Nutrition

The Institute for Community Health Innovation (ICHI) partners with more than 100 schools in Arkansas, reaching more than 75,000 students with better health and nutrition by offering meals with lower sugar, saturated fat and sodium. School nutrition focuses on three areas: behavioral economics, staff training, and student and parent engagement. ICHI also developed a school nutrition toolbox school districts use to promote healthy eating.

Nutrition Program

UAMS GAP Services

The GAP Services office in McGehee, Arkansas, provides free health services to rural residents, including telehealth, HIV/STD testing, prevention services, health screenings, safe-sex kits, referrals to care, health education resources, and a food pantry with clothing available. GAP also hosts community outreach events to reduce barriers and increase awareness.

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Community Health Workers

Community health workers are trusted members of their community who help people connect to and access health and social services. By training and deploying community health workers across the state, we’re building bridges between communities and healthcare.

Community Health

Targeted Recruitment of Student Nurses

The College of Nursing’s office of student services recruits nursing students from rural communities, counseling them in financial options and connecting them with institutional and external funding sources. The office works with community leaders, rural health care organizations and school counselors to identify and mentor local talent who will hopefully serve these communities after graduation.

Financial Resources for Nursing Students

Project PLAY: Positive Learning

Project PLAY partners with early childhood education professionals to promote positive social and emotional health in young children ages birth to 5. The infant and early childhood mental health consultation model supports better outcomes for young children.

Project PLAY

Perinatal Community Health

Perinatal community health workers support pregnant and postpartum families in Arkansas. Based in local health units, they provide care coordination, connect families to resources, and address barriers rural communities face.

UAMS ObGyn

The South Central Telehealth Resource Center

The South Central Telehealth Resource Center serves Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee, helping health care and health education groups that have an interest in telehealth.

LearnTeleHealth Website

The Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute (WPRCI) Community Outreach

In 2022, the WPRCI launched a statewide cancer patient navigation and community outreach program aimed at reducing the burden of cancer through outreach and education, increased access to screenings, and patient navigation to community resources.

Cancer Patient Navigator Program

This program is composed of 15 navigators (12 non-clinical + 3 nurse navigators) and 3 staff. The team is strategically placed throughout the state, with nearly half of the team located in nine regional UAMS campuses and the remainder located in rural parts of the state.

Cancer Patient Navigator

Community Outreach & Engagement

The community outreach and engagement program aims to reduce cancer in Arkansas by working closely with rural communities to expand cancer screening, education and research.

Community Outreach

CARE (Community Ambassadors for Reproductive Education) Program

The CARE program partners with social media influencers and community health workers to make easy-to-understand information on contraception more accessible to women in Arkansas. The program helps women make informed decisions about their reproductive health, which is especially helpful in rural areas where in-person services and counseling may be limited.

UAMS ObGyn

‘”I Gave Birth” Bracelet Initiative

I Gave Birth bracelets help postpartum women communicate that they recently delivered a baby and may need medical evaluation for warning signs. This initiative is important in rural areas where patients may seek care outside of obstetric settings, and it increases awareness among families, communities, and emergency responders.

‘”I Gave Birth” Bracelet Initiative