There are many healthcare issues in our region that won’t be noted in this presentation because they are actually national problems and not regionally  specific.

Hospitals
Presently healthcare, particularly hospital centric healthcare, in the Texarkana region is developing. Within the past year Wadley Healthcare has sold to a for profit entity and has moved from a not for profit business model to a for profit model. This change in the healthcare environment is bringing about shifts for everyone, aside from the uncertainty of plans at the national level.

Some points of interest about our hospitals are,

• Texarkana is recognized as a regional medical center.
• Our hospitals serve as a resource for smaller rural hospitals when more urgent care is needed.
• Texarkana has no trauma center. We routinely use the one in Tyler.
• Serious heart care needs are referred to Little Rock and Dallas.

Doctors
The majority of the doctors are in one clinic, more than 60%.  Many of our doctors are willing and do go to smaller outlying areas to provide services in more rural communities.

Other

• We have the average skilled nursing beds and normal senior care services for our population mix.
• We have plenty of rehabilitation beds and numerous hospice care programs.
• Texarkana lost Living Hope, the former mental health hospital. It was forced out of business in 2008.
• Bowie and Miller Counties both provide community health and mental health care service.

AHEC-SW
The Arkansas Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) Program was founded in 1973as the primary educational outreach effort of University of Arkansas Medical Services (UAMS) and the principal means of decentralizing health professions education throughout the state. Texarkana has one of the nine state centers.
AHEC-SW offers six UAMS programs; Diagnostic Medical Sonography, Health Information Management, Medical Technology, Nuclear Medicine Technology, Radiologic Technology, and Respiratory Care. Sixty seven students are pursuing opportunities these programs. There are currently thirty graduate students from the AHEC-SW in the Master of Nursing Science program.
AHEC-SW also houses two faculty and family medicine residency clinics which serve as training sites for residents (doctors).
Because of their work in the community AHEC serves as a bridge between medical care and education
http://www.ahectxk.uams.edu/

Healthcare Educational Programs
Texarkana College offers educational nursing programs in three areas of health care: Associate Degree Nursing (RN), Vocational Nursing (LVN), and Emergency Medical Technology/Paramedic (EMT/P). http://www.texarkanacollege.edu/health/index.html

A&M Texarkana has a BSN program for those who have already received their RN degree. In addition they have a new MSN program which started in the fall of 2008 with 15 students. http://www.tamut.edu/CHBS/deanswelcome.html

Questions (Click the question to login and respond)

1. Does our citizenry have a responsibility to care for the indigent?
2. How can the community assist in recruiting doctors to our area?