Uams Ahec Southwest Family Clinic

Information may not be reliable

As the outreach arm of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) in southwest Arkansas, UAMS Area Health Education Center-Southwest (AHEC-SW) in Texarkana engages the surrounding communities supporting the goals of UAMS to teach, to heal, to search, and to serve. Through building community partnerships, AHEC-SW brings the robust educational programs and resources of UAMS to our region. Addressing the regional storage of health care providers, AHEC-SW offers students educational opportunities through programs in the Colleges of Health Related Professions, Nursing, and Medicine. AHEC-SW clinicians serve patients in Texarkana, DeQueen, and Lewisville. The Cancer Registry provides important clinical information about cancer detection and treatment in the region. Our Community Outreach Department promotes wellness and addresses health disparities through education.
Currently six programs from the College of Health Related Professions are offered through AHEC-SW Diagnostic Medical Sonography, Health Information Management, Medical Technology, Nuclear Medicine Technology, Radiologic Technology, and Respiratory Care. There are sixty seven students pursuing opportunities in CHRP programs. There are currently thirty graduate students from the AHEC-SW in the Master of Nursing Science program
AHEC-SW houses a faculty and family medicine residency clinics. The two clinics have over 20,000 patient-visits per year. The prescription drug service associated with the clinic provides much needed medications to indigent patients. Smoking cessation and diabetic classes are offered to clinic patients. In summer 2004, the All for Kids pediatric clinic opened. The clinic was initiated in response to an unmet need in the community. Clinic is open Monday through Friday. Clinical services are provided by two part-time physicians and two full-time pediatric nurse practitioners. The clinic is currently seeing an average of 60 patients per day. The clinic is becoming an important training site for our residents.
The UAMS/AHEC Cancer Registry has been successful in the collection of greater than 15,000 cancer cases in the past 14 years of existence. This data enables the hospitals to target specific cancer prevention activities and to plan for cancer treatment and program developments to better serve the needs of our specific patient population. The Cancer Registry received full Approved and Commendation status by the Commission on Cancer status for Wadley Regional Medical Center and CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System in 2004.
Wellness and addressing health disparities is increasingly an important role of AHEC-SW. Community health workers presentations touched over 1000 people on topics such as diabetes, nutrition, and heart health. AHEC-SW staff made presentations through the BEAT Tobacco Collation on topics, such as second-hand smoke and smoking prevention. The staff developed an area smoke-free dining guide. Over 433 individuals attended presentations on breast health. Over 376 screening mammograms were performed through grants and funding by organization such as the Susan G. Komen Foundation. High school students in DeQueen, Hope, Nashville, and Texarkana had the opportunity to explore health careers in Summer MASH programs.
Through community partnerships with a focus on health education, AHEC-SW continues to seek opportunities to impact the health of people of southwest Arkansas and neighboring states