BH Foundation

About Our Foundation

Initiatives

BAPTIST HEALTH SCHOOLS LITTLE ROCK
ANNUAL SCHOLARSHIP FUND

BAPTIST HEALTH Schools Little Rock (BHSLR) has been preparing healthcare professionals since 1921. We not only offer year-long certificate programs, but an affiliation with colleges and universities, a two-year associate degree and a number of baccalaureate degree programs are possible. We are very proud to have the largest RN program in the state and produce approximately 20% of the state’s RN graduates each year. Every year we are impressed by the dedication of our student population. In general, they are working, have families, are over the age of 25, and have come to us trying to better their lives and the lives of their families. Each year, BAPTIST HEALTH Foundation strives to provide financial support to many of our deserving students. As seen below, our enrollment has increased significantly over the last several years, but our scholarships have not kept pace.

Additional scholarship opportunities at BHSLR will help patients by easing the national shortage of nurses and enabling patients to continue receiving quality healthcare. Scholarships also help deserving students as they continue to work towards their educational goals.

Students submit their scholarship applications during the spring and early summer of each year. Recipients are selected by a Selection Committee, and a Scholarship Awards Reception is held during the fall semester for donors, faculty, staff, and students. Scholarship funds are transferred directly to each recipient’s BHSLR student account to be used for tuition and school-related purposes.

COMMUNITY HEALTH CLINICS (CHC)

Community Health Clinics (CHC) provide health care regardless of ability to pay, even with no health insurance. A CHC must be located in or serve a high need community, i.e. “medically underserved areas” or “medically underserved populations.” They must provide comprehensive primary care services as well as supportive services such as translation and transportation services that promote access to health care. Their services must be available to all residents of their service areas, with fees adjusted upon patients’ ability to pay.

In 1997 BAPTIST HEALTH recognized a significant need in the community of First Presbyterian Church in Little Rock to provide healthcare services. BAPTIST HEALTH agreed to cover the expense for one registered nurse one day a week. First Presbyterian Church agreed to host the clinic one day a week within their facilities. The clinic is open every Friday from 11:30 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.

The purpose of the clinic is to provide basic healthcare and healthcare education to homeless individuals and families resulting in the prevention of widespread disease while encouraging healthy living behaviors. First Presbyterian Church is also home to the Stew Pot, a soup kitchen that provides hot lunch meals to approximately 150 homeless individuals and families Monday through Friday.

Individualized Health Education
Blood Pressure Screening
Cholesterol Screening
Blood Sugar Screening
Health Monitoring
First Aid
Parasitic Treatment (lice)
Nutrition Counseling
Mental Health Assessment
Referral to appropriate resources

eCare Mobile

The eCare Mobile unit is a vital component of an eICU program. It can be moved into any patient room that has eICU network access. It enables that room and patient to immediately become part of an eICU network and thus part of the hospital’s critical care department. Mounted on a wheeled base, it contains a laptop computer, camera, microphone, and patient care tools.

Not all critically ill patients are in an ICU bed. Patients in any room can deteriorate and require rapid response. Through BAPTIST HEALTH’S new eICU® Program, “intensivists” and critical care nurses are instantly ready to help these patients from a centralized remote location. They are virtually “at the bedside” communicating with the patient and healthcare professionals through a computer network with video, audio, and data hook-up in the patient’s room. The eICU program also prevents inappropriate transfers of patients to ICU which helps contain healthcare costs. However, many of the BHMC – Stuttgart patient rooms do not have eICU bedside equipment. Installing it in every room is impractical and very costly. Also, BAPTIST HEALTH must increase its ability to respond to major disasters affecting the lives of many people at one time.

Our goal is to obtain two eCare Mobile units (the portable version of the installed eICU equipment) for BHMC-LR and BHMC-NLR. This unit can be wheeled into patient rooms and connected to the eICU network when needed. To provide eICU access at a temporary triage center should a major disaster occur.

Endowed Scholarship Fund

Our goal is to provide additional scholarships in 2009 to better serve our student population and t provide financial support in the form of BAPTIST HEALTH Foundation Scholarships to at least 350 students who meet the academic and financial criteria.

Scholarships will help ease the national shortage of nurses.

Faculty Innovation in Education Endowment

Our goal is to create an endowment to provide funding for up to five BHSLR faculty members with the opportunity to attend innovative education seminars. Staying abreast of the latest in medical technology will better educate our student who will pass this expertise on to the patient.

Campus-wide Technology

BAPTIST HEALTH Schools Little Rock (BHSLR) has been preparing healthcare professionals since 1921. We not only offer year-long certificate programs, but in affiliation with colleges and universities, a two-year associate degree and a number of baccalaureate degree programs are possible. Our goal as an institution is to offer “something for everyone” interested in a health care career. BHSLR is especially proud of our role in producing registered nurses in central Arkansas. Each year, we consistently produce approximately 20% of the entry RN workforce in Arkansas, providing approximately 50% of entry RNs in Little Rock. We are impressed by the dedication of our student population every year. In general, they are working, have families, are over the age of 25, and have come to us trying to better their lives and the lives of their families.

The instruction offered at BHSLR is becoming increasingly technology-based with each academic year. We have very high expectations of our students as related to access, use, and familiarity with technology. As a result, our goal is to give each incoming student a 1-Gig flash drive.

Our goal is to provide flash drives to every incoming student at the time of orientation to help them prepare for their program of study.

Our purpose with this goal is two-fold. First, we believe a flash drive will be a usable tool during and after their study at BHSLR. Second, we have found that the experience students have at BHSLR directly affects how they feel about BAPTIST HEALTH in general. We believe a better experience at BHSLR will result in more of our students seeking employment at one of our facilities upon graduation. We know that a better trained, adequate workforce improves patient care and safety.

Laptop Computers – Student Award System

In 2008, BHSLR held the second annual “Student Appreciation Day” which was held for two mid-day hours on a Friday in October. The events include live music, student and faculty talent presentations, and pizza and sodas for fun and relaxation. This event allowed the faculty to show support of the students and an appreciation of their hard work and dedication. It allows faculty and student to interact in an informal setting. Three laptops were given to students participating in the event – which was a huge success!

Many BHSLR students qualify for scholarships and Pell grants based on their low income status and so, many of them cannot afford to purchase a laptop computer. However, a laptop computer has become a necessary tool for every student. Without a laptop, their efforts in gathering information, participating in class, preparing assignments, and studying for tests are severely hampered.

The recipients’ efforts to reach their current and future educational goals will be enhanced. The awards program will boost the morale of the entire student body.

Neonatal Giraffe® Omni-Bed with Incubator

BHMC-LR has been delivering babies for more than 85 years. Since 1992, more than 30,000 babies have been born in the BHMC-LR Labor and Delivery Department [Written in 2005. Update # babies born?]. Today it serves more women with at-risk pregnancies than any other healthcare facility in Arkansas. The Baptist Health MedFlight program serves women anywhere in the state who are experiencing pregnancy-related difficulties.

The Giraffe OmniBed decreases stress for the family and simplifies procedures for the clinician. It is a full-featured incubator and radiant warmer that eliminates the stress of moving critically-ill infants from bed to bed. The Giraffe’s patented Baby Susan rotating mattress facilitates proper positioning of the infant for all types of procedures. Other features are described below.

Preterm babies suffer from more health problems and higher mortality rates than infants born at term. Furthermore, increasingly more babies are born prematurely in the U. S. “Between 1981 and 2002, the national rate of premature births rose from 9.4% to 12.1%.” (Sources: National Center for Health Statistics and March of Dimes) Yet the problems in Arkansas are even more serious. Arkansas ranks embarrassingly low (44th among the 50 states) in the Kids Count 2004 overall assessment of 10 key indicators of child well-being. The indicators include the percentages of low birth-weight babies, infant mortality rate, teen birth rate, and children living in poverty. [update stats]

Comprehensive quality care in the first few days of life is critical to the development of premature infants. The cost of care for premature infants rises exponentially. Many premature babies face future years of costly therapy, intervention, and medical care for developmental delay or developmental disabilities.

By placing a premature baby in the Giraffe Omni-Bed with Incubator, he or she receives less inappropriate stimulation from healthcare professionals and family members. The elevating base can be adjusted so family members, including those in a wheelchair, can see and interact much better with the baby.