Healthy Connections Community Health Network clinic locations will have adjusted hours during Thanksgiving week. Call us at 888-710-8220 for appointments or questions. And thank you for choosing Healthy Connections as your care provider.
Congratulations go out to Healthy Connections, Inc., Chief Executive Officer Tony Calandro for being named to the 2021 Arkansas 250 list.
The Arkansas 250, which is produced by Arkansas Business, features Arkansas’ most influential business leaders from many industries across the state.
“Each year we compare notes with executives and leaders from every region and each major industry category in the state. We mine board of directors lists for publicly traded companies, universities, and nonprofit organizations,” said Chris Bahn, publisher of Arkansas 250. “We deep dive into reporting from media outlets, including Arkansas Business, to identify the business, political, and quality of life stories that mattered most. It is important to us that this list includes people actively plotting the course of our state.”
Calandro is in his 11th year as CEO of Healthy Connections. Last year he was named a finalist for Arkansas Nonprofit Executive of the Year.
“I am honored to have been included in such a prestigious list of Arkansas business leaders,” Calandro said. “This wouldn’t be possible without the hard work and dedication of our Healthy Connections staff. This recognition is a reflection of the job they did throughout the past year.”
Arkansas Business praised Calandro for Healthy Connections growth in recent years. This has included expansion to areas like Little Rock, Bryant, and Hot Springs Village, and new services being made available to patients throughout the region.
Calandro is listed amongst many of the state’s top healthcare leaders including:
- Chad Aduddell, CEO CHI St. Vincent
- Chris Barber, President and CEO of St. Bernard’s Healthcare
- Marcy Dodderer, President and CEO of Arkansas Children’s
- Matt Troup, CEO Conway Regional Health System
- Troy Wells, President and CEO Baptist Health
The list also includes business leaders from nearly every industry in Arkansas, including prominent names such as:
- Warren Stephens, CEO of Stephens, Inc.,
- Jim Walton, Chairman and CEO of Arvest Bank Group
- Asa Hutchinson
- Hunter Yurachek, Vice-Chancellor and Director of Athletics, University of Arkansas
See the complete list at https://digital.abpg.com/arkansas250-2021/page/1
Healthy Connections is a Mena-based Community Health Network with locations throughout southwest and central Arkansas. Since its founding as a home-visiting program in 1998, Healthy Connections has been able to provide much-needed health, dental, behavioral health, and social services to families of every lifestyle. Services include primary care/family medicine, specialty services including cardiology, podiatry, and women’s health, My Kids Pediatric Clinic, Evolve Behavioral Health Services and Medication Management, Health For Life Clinic, Healthy Families Arkansas Polk and Garland counties, and more. Learn more about Healthy Connections at www.healthy-connections.org.
Healthy Connections and Ambetter from Arkansas Health & Wellness to Host Pro Football Hall of Famer Cliff Harris on Oct. 12 to Encourage Covid-19 Vaccination
Healthy Connections Community Health Network and Ambetter from Arkansas Health & Wellness will host Pro Football Hall of Famer, former Dallas Cowboy, and Arkansas native Cliff Harris on Tuesday, Oct. 12 to provide free vaccines and encourage vaccination against Covid-19.
The free vaccine event will take place all day from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Healthy Connections clinic location at 3604 Central Ave., Suite D. Harris will visit from 3 to 4 p.m. to meet and greet community members who come by to receive their free COVID vaccine.
“It was important to me to get vaccinated to keep my friends and family safe,” said Harris, who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame earlier this year. “I hope others will join me in getting vaccinated for the people that count on them, and I look forward to meeting members of the community at Healthy Connections.”
Covid-19 vaccine (1st or 2nd dose) and flu vaccine will be available at no charge to patients. Walk-ins will be accepted, or patients can register for a specific appointment time by calling 888-710-8220.
“Vaccination is the free, easy, and safe way to protect yourself and those closest to you from Covid-19, which is why we’ve worked so hard to vaccinate our community,” said Tony Calandro, CEO at Healthy Connections. “We’re pleased to have Cliff Harris to promote awareness of the vaccine and the protection it offers all of us.”
“The best action we can take to keep our communities safe from Covid-19 is to get vaccinated,” said John Ryan, President and CEO, Ambetter from Arkansas Health & Wellness. “Providing access to vaccines is a top priority of ours, and we’re grateful to have Cliff Harris with us to support these efforts and ensure a healthier community.”
Harris was born in Fayetteville and played at Hot Springs and Des Arc high schools. He played at Ouachita Baptist University before signing as an undrafted free agent with the Dallas Cowboys and was nicknamed “Captain Crash” by his teammates for his punishing hits and reckless pursuit of ball carriers. The Cowboys ranked in the top 10 in defense every year with him in the lineup.
He played in five Super Bowls, six Pro Bowls, and was named All-Pro four times. He retired in 1980.
Harris was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020 but had his enshrinement postponed to 2021 due to Covid-19 restrictions. He’s also a member of the Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor and a member of the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame.
Healthy Connections is a Mena-based Community Health Network with locations throughout southwest and central Arkansas. Since its founding as a home-visiting program in 1998, Healthy Connections has been able to provide much-needed health, dental, behavioral health, and social services to families of every lifestyle. Services include primary care/family medicine, specialty services including cardiology, podiatry, and women’s health, My Kids Pediatric Clinic, Evolve Behavioral Health Services and Medication Management, Health For Life Clinic, Healthy Families Arkansas Polk and Garland counties, and more. Learn more about Healthy Connections at www.healthy-connections.org.
Healthy Connections clinics are offering Monoclonal Antibody Treatment at all locations. Clinics are also offering regular Covid-19 testing (results same day), and Covid-19 vaccines for free. Learn more at www.gettestedfree.com.
In response to the Delta Variant of Covid-19 in our area, Healthy Connections is taking its testing and vaccination program on the road for three pop-up stops in August.
Non-profit Healthy Connections will offer Covid-19 testing and vaccinations from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the following dates and locations:
- Monday, August 2: Healthy Connections Malvern, 900 Martin Luther King Blvd., Malvern
- Tuesday, August 3: Healthy Connections Hot Springs Central, 3604 Central Ave., Hot Springs
- Wednesday, August 4: Healthy Connections De Queen, 1206 W. Collin Raye Dr., De Queen
At these events, Healthy Connections staff will collect insurance information from patients. But the result will be both services being offered at no cost to patients. The test is the “simple test” that does not require a deep penetration of the nostrils for testing. Results from this test will be available in 3 to 5 days.
Learn more about Healthy Connections and the Covid-19 testing and vaccination program at www.gettestedfree.com.
As of July 28, the Arkansas Department of Health is reporting more than 15,000 active cases and more than 1,000 hospitalizations in the state of Arkansas.
Healthy Connections Community Health Network clinics are also testing and giving vaccinations. In addition to the “free” test, clinics also offer the Covid-19 Rapid Test. This is done for $60 (cash or credit card only) and results are available in as little as 15 minutes. Insurance is not filed on rapid tests. The regular (free) test and Covid-19 vaccines are also available at clinic locations. Call 888-710-8220 for appointments.
Last summer, Healthy Connections took its testing pop-ups to communities across southwest and central Arkansas. More than 5,000 tests were done at these pop-up events.
The Healthy Connections Community Health Network includes the primary care/family medicine clinics of Healthy Connections, Healthy Connections Specialty, Evolve Behavioral Health and Medication Management, and Health For Life Clinic.
Healthy Connections clinics are open, safe, healthy, and here for the communities they serve. The Healthy Connections community health network is a federally qualified health center (FQHC). Healthy Connections and Evolve Behavioral Health both accept Medicaid, ARKids 1st, Medicare, and most private health insurance. There is also a sliding fee scale for patients without health insurance who qualify. Medicaid patients may be required to switch their primary care provider to Healthy Connections before they can be seen. Learn more about Healthy Connections at www.healthy-connections.org.
Healthy Connections is excited to announce its April 2021 Shining STAR employees of the month:
WEST: DELFINA LOPEZ
EAST: MELANIE NEWMAN
Each month across the Healthy Connections Community Health Network, exemplary employees are nominated for this award for representing our Three Pillars: Excellence, Compassion, and Community. These pillars are considered heavily when choosing winners.
As winners, Delfina and Melanie are winners of a $50 gift card or one day off work.
Delfina is a patient care coordinator at the Mena clinic.
- “Delfina is very pleasant and tries her best to help all patients that walk through the door. She always has a pleasant attitude and she is always willing to help anyone that needs help.”
Melanie is a nurse practitioner in primary care and pediatrics at Healthy Connections Hot Springs Central.
- “Melanie’s bright smile and soft spirit make her a pleasure to her patients and coworkers. She is always willing to take time and listen.”
Congratulations to both Delfina and Melanie.
Do you know who should be our next to be recognized? Nominate by visiting https://www.healthy-connections.org/nominate.
For the safety of our patients, visitors, and staff, the Healthy Connections Community Health Network will continue to require masks in accordance with current Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommendations.
Thank you for your cooperation.
