Evolve Behavioral Health Services
Healthy Connections
My Kids Pediatric Clinic

CALL US: 888.710.8220

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Evolve Behavioral Health Services
Healthy Connections
My Kids Pediatric Clinic

CALL US: 888.710.8220

Clinics Now Open Fridays

Healthy Connections will now have Friday clinic hours at six Arkansas locations.

In order to increase accessibility and the overall experience for patients, clinics in Mena, Hot Springs, Malvern, Mount Ida, and De Queen are now open to see family medical and primary care patients on Fridays.

The Friday clinics will be:

  • Mena, 136 Health Park Lane, 8 a.m.-6 p.m.
  • Hot Springs, 102 Chippewa Court, 8 a.m.-6 p.m.
  • Hot Springs, 3604 Central Avenue, 8 a.m.-6 p.m.
  • Malvern Clinic, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
  • Mount Ida (Montgomery County Community Clinic), 534 Luzerne Street, 8 a.m.-6 p.m.
  • DeQueen, 1367 W. Collin Raye Drive, 8 a.m.-6 p.m.

Call (888) 710-8220 for an appointment. All clinics accept most forms of medical insurance, Medicaid and Medicare; however, no person will be turned away for lack of insurance. Qualified families will be charged according to their total family income (please see our discounted medical & dental care program page for details). Enrollment assistance is also available for Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act.

Note that specialty services, dental, behavioral health, and some imaging services may not be available during this time. Acute pediatrics patients will be seen at the adult medicine clinics in Hot Springs and DeQueen.

Healthy Connections operates 10 clinics, including three school-based health centers, in Arkansas. For more information, visit www.healthy-connections.org.

Bagleys Named CASA Advocates of Year

Healthy Connections congratulates Sabrina and Greg Bagley, who were recently named the CASA Advocates of the Year for Garland County.

Sabrina is a Collaborative Care Tier II Registered Dental Hygienist at the Healthy Connections Chippewa location in Hot Springs. They have demonstrated Healthy Connections’ pillars of Excellence, Compassion, and Community.

Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) is a national association that supports and promotes court-appointed advocates for abused or neglected children in order to provide children with a safe and healthy environment in permanent homes. They are also known as Guardians ad litem.

“Greg and Sabrina have been with us since 2017 and have done an amazing job advocating for the two sisters in their case. The Bagleys traveled each month, sometimes twice a month, to ensure their CASA kids had stability and their needs were being met,” said Desternie Sullivan, Executive Director of Tri-Lakes CASA. “They were respectful to parents and facilitated their placement with a relative. In a short period of time, Greg and Sabrina made a huge impact in the kids’ lives inside and out of the courtroom. They have received praise for their concise, detailed and thorough court reports from DHS, the judge and all of the attorneys.”

Greg and Sabrina serve their cases together in Garland, Hot Spring, and Grant counties.

“Nearly 700,000 children experience abuse or neglect t each year. Instead of playing with friends and incurring happy family memories, abused children are most often transitioning to new homes, new schools and attending court hearings, along with coping with the trauma that they have endured,” Sabrina said.

Sensing a need, the Bagleys began volunteering. Once a judge appoints them to a case, they function as independent appointees of the court to assess the child’s needs in the courtroom and community, including medically, with strict confidentiality and anonymity. They monitor the actions of the child, family members, the case plan activity with DHS, professionals and other parties that come in contact with the child.

The Bagleys then ensure the court’s orders are being strictly adhered to in between hearing dates. They gather information and become the eyes and ears of the court with the child’s best interest in mind. The judge can then use the Bagleys findings to make better-informed decisions regarding the child’s future, including but not limited to a safe, permanent home that is best suited for the child.

Their goal is to be consistent, caring adults who bring a calming peace and hope to the children they are assigned to.

“That the truly most difficult times in their young lives id not define them, but instilled in the young minds and hearts that someone cares enough about them that they believe in themselves that they are capable of achieving any dream and goal that they set before themselves,” Sabrina said.

For more information about CASA, please visit: http://www.tri-lakescasa.org/

 

National Recognition For Improving Blood Pressure

American Heart Association and American Medical Association announce annual list of physician practices and health systems receiving a Target: BP™ award for their commitment to prioritize blood pressure control within the communities they serve  

ARKANSAS – Healthy Connections, Inc., is recognized as a leader in the national effort to get people’s blood pressure under control and reduce the number of Americans who have heart attacks and strokes each year.

The American Heart Association (AHA) and American Medical Association (AMA) named Healthy Connections’ clinics as part of the 802 physician practices and health systems nationwide recognized for a commitment to help patients improve blood pressure control through this year’s Target: BP Recognition awards.

Launched in 2015,  Target: BP  is a national initiative between the AHA and AMA aimed at addressing the growing burden of high blood pressure in the U.S.

More than 1,600 physician practices and health systems nationwide have joined Target: BP™, sharing a common goal to reduce the number of adult patients with uncontrolled blood pressure and improve health outcomes associated with heart disease.   

“Improving the health and well-being of the communities we serve is part of the mission at Healthy Connections,” said CEO Tony Calandro. “Target: BP is just another recognition of our staff and their commitment to making Arkansas a healthier place to live.”

Healthy Connections clinics recognized include:

  • 3034 A Pine Street, Arkadelphia
  • 900 Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard, Malvern
  • 534 Luzerne Street, Mount Ida (Montgomery County Community Clinic)
  • 136 Health Park Drive, Mena
  • 1201 Mena Street, Mena
  • 102 Chippewa Court, Hot Springs
  • 3604 Central Avenue, Hot Springs
  • 1357 West Collin Raye Drive, De Queen
  • 139 School Lane, Mena (Ouachita River Health Center, Acorn School)

Clinics can be reached by calling toll free at (888) 710-8220.

Of the 103 million Americans with high blood pressure, less than half of them have it controlled to a healthy level. This is despite the fact that high blood pressure can often be managed effectively when patients work with their physician to create and follow a treatment plan. No single risk factor has more impact on the nation’s death rates from cardiovascular disease than high blood pressure.

“Although we have the tools to easily treat high blood pressure, many patients face a variety of barriers making it difficult to successfully manage the condition. That’s why the American Heart Association and American Medical Association created the Target: BP initiative – to help bring patients and physicians together to successfully get blood pressure under control, and help patients keep it controlled,” said AMA President Barbara L. McAneny, M.D. “We applaud the physicians who are already working hard to control their patients’ blood pressure, and we will continue to urge more physician practices, health systems and patients to join this effort to prioritize blood pressure control and increase the national blood pressure control rate. Together, we will be able to save many more lives and improve health outcomes for patients throughout the nation.”

“A driving force behind Target: BP’s goal of improving cardiovascular health is the physician and patient partnership,” said AHA President Ivor Benjamin, M.D., FAHA. “We are pleased to see more and more practices prioritize blood pressure control and collaborate with their patients to achieve the program’s goal of reducing heart disease and strokes in their communities.”

Healthy Connections, along with all other practices and health systems being recognized, will be featured in upcoming Target: BP materials. This includes appearing in national journal ads, on TargetBP.org, and the Target: BP Wall of Recognition that will be displayed at AMA and AHA events throughout the year.Healthy Connections, Inc., was founded in 1998 as a home visiting program and now operates nine clinics throughout Southwest Arkansas. Depending on location, services include primary and preventative medical care, general dentistry, pediatrics, behavioral health, physical therapy and cardiology

Healthy Connections Earns National Recognition

 

The American Heart Association presents Check.Change.Control.Cholesterol™ award for commitment in prioritizing cholesterol management  

Healthy Connections, Inc., has received the American Heart Association’s Check.Change.Control.Cholesterol™ Gold Award in recognition of their commitment to reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke through improved cholesterol management.

High cholesterol is one of the major controllable risk factors for heart disease, heart attack and stroke, estimated to cause nearly 2.6 million deaths annually.

To help people better understand their risk and learn to manage their cholesterol, the Association launched its Check.Change.Control.Cholesterol. initiative in 2017. Since then, more than 340 health centers and systems have registered to participate.

“Nearly two-thirds of people who have high cholesterol don’t think they’re at high risk for a heart attack or stroke. For the good of our patients, we want to lower those numbers,” said Healthy Connections CEO Tony Calandro. “This is an important part of our mission to improve the health and well-being of the communities we serve.”

Healthy Connections clinics recognized with the Gold Award include:

  • 136 Health Park Drive, Mena
  • 139 School Lane, Mena (Ouachita River Health Center, Acorn School)

Healthy Connections clinics also participating in the program include:

  • 3034 A Pine Street, Arkadelphia
  • 900 Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard, Malvern
  • 534 Luzerne Street, Mount Ida (Montgomery County Community Clinic)
  • 1201 Mena Street, Mena
  • 102 Chippewa Court, Hot Springs
  • 1357 West Collin Raye Drive, De Queen

To help practices achieve their goals, the Association provides all participants with a dedicated website featuring a free, evidence-based improvement program that includes tools and resources to help clinicians improve cholesterol control rates. To facilitate easy and seamless adoption of the program, the Association will provide access to trained support specialists within their community who can help identify specific program components to incorporate into clinical practice.

“We have a large body of evidence supporting the benefits and safety of cholesterol lowering treatment. Yet, the challenge is that high cholesterol remains underdiagnosed and therefore undertreated. This program helps bring patients and healthcare providers together to recognize the issue, bring cholesterol under control and help patients maintain control” said Alice K. Jacobs, M.D., Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs at Boston University Medical Center and past president of the AHA. “We applaud the providers who are already working to address cholesterol lowering, and we will continue to urge more physician practices, health systems and patients to join this initiative to prioritize cholesterol control and ultimately improve health outcomes nationwide.”

Healthy Connections, Inc., was founded in 1998 as a home visiting program and now operates nine clinics throughout Southwest Arkansas. Depending on location, services include primary and preventative medical care, general dentistry, pediatrics, behavioral health, physical therapy and cardiology. Learn more at www.healthy-connections.org.

Learn more at Check.Change.Control.Cholesterol.