Stroke Pathways to Advance Rural Knowledge (SPARK) | $5,438,244
PI: Jonathan Goree, M.D., Professor, Department of Anesthesiology
SPARK will connect communities, EMS, emergency departments, primary care, and stroke specialists in 24 rural Delta communities in its first year. The program will use education, virtual neurology decision support, survivor navigation, workflow tools, and performance tracking.
Arkansas Pregnancy Care Connect | $2,986,934
PI: Nirvana Manning, M.D., Professor and Chair, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Mobile teams will serve 24 high-need counties, backed by a statewide, 24/7 nurse-led pregnancy and postpartum advice line. The line will provide triage, education, referrals, and escalation support. Counties served: Baxter, Boone, Carroll, Clark, Columbia, Fulton, Hempstead, Howard, Independence, Izard, Lafayette, Little River, Marion, Miller, Nevada, Newton, Ouachita, Pike, Polk, Searcy, Sevier, Sharp, Stone, and Union.
Specialty Telehealth Access for Rural Communities in Arkansas (STAR) | $1,228,624
PI: Susan Emmett, M.D., Professor, Department of Otolaryngology
STAR will create a telehealth hearing-care network offering screening, specialist triage, diagnosis, and treatment through community sites and rural clinics. Counties served: Arkansas, Clark, Clay, Cross, Fulton, Greene, Hot Spring, Lawrence, Monroe, Montgomery, Mississippi, Phillips, Poinsett, Polk, Randolph, Sevier, and Sharp.
Mobile Faith Rural Health Outreach Program | $1,100,000
PI: Pearl McElfish, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor, Department of Internal Medicine; Director, UAMS Institute for Community Health Innovation
Mobile Faith will bring preventive screenings, health education, referral coordination, and chronic disease support to rural residents statewide. The program relies on trusted faith-based partnerships and community health workers.
Family Medicine Obstetrics Fellowship | $536,294
PI: Shashank Kraleti, M.D., Professor and Chair, Department of Family and Preventive Medicine
The Transforming Obstetrical Care in Rural Arkansas Project will establish a fellowship in Jonesboro, based at St. Bernards Medical Center, to train two family physicians each year in comprehensive maternity care. Fellows will learn to care for patients during pregnancy, childbirth, and after delivery, and are expected to start in July 2027. Counties served: Clay, Craighead, Cross, Greene, Jackson, Lawrence, Mississippi, Poinsett, Randolph, and Woodruff.
Bridges to Care: Arkansas Rural Behavioral Health Workforce Collaborative | $1,230,685
PI: Isis Martel, M.S., Instructor, Research and Evaluation Division, Department of Family and Preventive Medicine
Bridges to Care will give frontline providers in rural communities free, practical, evidence-based behavioral health training and ongoing support. Because rural areas often lack specialists, behavioral health care frequently falls to family doctors, nurses, school counselors, peer recovery specialists, court teams, and faith leaders. Offered statewide in person, live online, and on demand, the training will focus on youth substance use, trauma, mental illness, and team-based care.
The Arkansas Rural Health Transformation Program is funded by the State of Arkansas through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Learn more at Arkansas Rural Health Transformation Program | AR RHT