Helena (Ark.) Hospital, a rural emergency hospital serving the Mississippi Delta, will gain access to specialists, academic programs and clinical research from Little Rock-based University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences under a co-management agreement approved by the hospital’s board of governors June 25, pending final approval by the Arkansas Department of Health.
Under the agreement, Helena Hospital will retain its assets, operations and oversight. No immediate changes to patient services, staff or daily operations are expected, according to a joint news release.
The two organizations have an existing relationship: UAMS operates its East Regional Campus in Helena-West Helena, where it trains primary care resident physicians and provides primary and specialty care to the Arkansas Delta region.
The agreement comes days after UAMS announced that Encore Medical Center, a 53-licensed-bed hospital in Bryant, Ark., will join the academic health system.
Helena Hospital also operates two Rural Health Clinics in Helena-West Helena and Marianna.
