Arkansas
Mercy Northwest Arkansas gets $5 million gift from the Walmart Foundation for cancer treatment, advancing the care options in Benton County | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
ROGERS — Mercy Northwest Arkansas will spend about half of a $5 million donation to add services that will put the hospital “on the map” for interventional radiology, according to the physician tapped to lead the project.
The Walmart Foundation provided Mercy Northwest with the one-time gift to provide Northwest Arkansas residents with access to the best quality of care, said Kathleen McLaughlin, foundation president and executive vice president and chief sustainability officer at Walmart.
The hospital announced in a news release Wednesday it will use some of the money for the construction of an interventional radiology suite. The suite will include a robot-controlled system that uses imaging software to help guide physicians to conduct “minimally invasive” treatments for various conditions, the release said.
Jared Garrett, interventional radiologist at Mercy and project leader, described the machine as a 360-degree CT scanning device that can create imaging of any part of the body and allow physicians to isolate the veins a patient’s tumor is receiving blood from. He said the machine will ultimately allow for treatments to be directly administered to the tumor.
He said after blood flow to the specific location has been stopped, a catheter will deliver an injection of small, medicine-coated beads. Garrett said the beads travel less than a quarter of an inch, so the imaging machine is needed for precision. The injection is an outpatient procedure, and the beads continue to release the medicine days after the procedure. Most patients need multiple rounds of the treatment, and it depends of the patient for the number of rounds.
Garrett said the treatment will initially only be used on patients suffering from liver cancer, but the machine will be used to treat other types of cancer in the future. He said the liver is the organ with the highest level of metastasis or spreading of cancer in the body.
There are patients in Benton County that need the treatment, Garrett said, but they have had to go to Little Rock or to Missouri to receive it. The service is state-of-the-art but has been the standard in care for a decade, he added.
About half of the money from the Walmart Foundation gift will be spent on the interventional radiology suite, said Ryan Gehrig, president of Mercy Arkansas. He said Garrett is leading the project and will have final say on its various facets.
Gehrig said he recruited Garrett to Mercy in 2019 because he knew the oncology program needed a talented physician to move it to the next level.
The team is in the final stages of identifying a room in the hospital for the suite, Gehrig said. The suite should be ready for patients in six to seven months, he added.
Mercy does have ideas for the remaining gift funds and will announce them soon, Gehrig said.
Nathan Smith, chairman of the Mercy Health Foundation Northwest Arkansas, said the interventional radiology suite will keep patients from traveling, allowing them to get quality care close to home.
McLaughlin said the advancement will change lives in the community. She added it is inspiring to hear how the money will be practically used.
LITTLE ROCK (KATV) — A bee swarm attack in Texas sent three people, including a firefighter, to the hospital this week, while Arkansas medical experts said most bee stings are not dangerous but can become life-threatening in certain cases.
Authorities in San Antonio said the three victims were hospitalized after being swarmed and stung by aggressive bees. Officials have not released details on what triggered the attack or the species involved.
Doctors in Arkansas said the biggest risk from a bee sting is not the sting itself, but a severe allergic reaction known as anaphylaxis.
“The concern when you have a bee sting is if you develop a severe allergic reaction called anaphylaxis,” said Dr. Garrett Lewis, chief medical officer at St. Vincent Infirmary.
Lewis said warning signs include throat swelling, difficulty breathing and feeling faint, which require immediate medical attention.
“If you’re experiencing any throat swelling or severe shortness of breath, you need to seek medical care immediately,” Lewis said.
He added that people who are stung multiple times may also be at risk even without a known allergy, because each sting introduces additional venom into the body.
In the event of a swarm, Lewis said the priority should be escaping the area as quickly as possible and removing any stingers once safe.
“Seek water, seek indoor,” Lewis said. “Once you’re away from the swarm, you want to make sure that you are removing any stingers that might still be in your skin.”
Lewis also said symptoms such as dizziness, nausea and widespread hives can indicate a serious reaction.
While the Texas incident resulted in hospitalizations, a recent swarm outside a Little Rock business ended without injuries after bees briefly gathered on a tree limb before being safely removed by a beekeeper.
Lewis said the best prevention is awareness of surroundings and understanding when medical care is needed after a sting.
CORNING, Ark. (KATV) — Regulatory Enforcement Agents with the Department of Finance and Administration, along with local police, seized a significant amount of illegal THC products from Pacific Green in Corning on Tuesday.
According to the DFA, more than a dozen agents joined the City of Corning Police in the day-long operation that resulted in two arrests.
DFA agents seized more than 25 pounds of illegal products consisting of flower, vapes, and edibles.
Owner Ben Bennett and employee Sharia Shipman were arrested and both charged with the following:
- Delivery of a Schedule VI controlled substance (Class D Felony)
- Possession of a Schedule VI controlled substance with the purpose to deliver (Class B Felony)
- Controlled substances – Offenses relating to records, maintaining premises (Class C Felony)
- Possession of drug paraphernalia (Class D Felony)
- Unauthorized use of another person’s property to facilitate certain crimes (Class C Felony)
Bennett’s bond was set at $150,000, while Shipman’s bond was set at $100,000.
“In addition to selling illegal products, investigators confirmed violations involving underage access at this location,” said David Potter, Director of the Regulatory Enforcement Division. “This retailer, which was located within 1,000 feet of a school, presented significant public health and safety concerns. We are proud to partner with the Corning Police Department in addressing these violations. We seized a substantial quantity of illegal products, including flower, vapes, edibles, and other items, during the operation. We appreciate the cooperation of local law enforcement and information received from the community that led to yesterday’s operation and stopped this blatant disregard of the law.”
Note: All suspects accused of a crime are presumed innocent unless proven guilty by a court of law.
The Department of Finance and Administration said Arkansans can use Apple Wallet to present their license or ID in person, online and in apps at select organizations, including at more than 250 Transportation Security
-
Seattle, WA2 minutes agoSeattle mayor grilled over public safety, affordability, CCTV
-
San Diego, CA5 minutes agoAutomated license plate readers and public surveillance cameras are coming to Imperial Beach
-
Milwaukee, WI10 minutes agoFriends, family gather to remember gunshot victim Pepe Sikisi-Belle Jr.
-
Atlanta, GA17 minutes agoAs FIFA World Cup nears, some MARTA riders raise safety concerns after recent attacks on transit system
-
Minneapolis, MN20 minutes agoMinneapolis leaders split over ShotSpotter contract
-
Indianapolis, IN25 minutes agoWork completed on $3 million restoration of fountains at Garfield Park
-
Pittsburg, PA32 minutes agoPittsburgh Regional Transit starting to install new ReadyFare machines
-
Augusta, GA35 minutes agoFive Augusta Women’s Tennis Players Honored on PBC All-Academic Team – Augusta University
