ACHI’s Dr. Joe Thompson on COVID, drug prescription negotiations

by Roby Brock (roby@talkbusiness.net)

Dr. Joe Thompson with the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement (ACHI) expects federal Medicare drug negotiations to expand in coming years as a more capitalistic and competitive approach to healthcare emerges.

This past week, the Biden administration announced 10 drugs that will be negotiated for price discounts in Medicare, a first for the program.

“This is a very significant change for the federal Medicare program. Medicare is what we care for elderly in our nation. Since 1965 when Medicare was first put in place, it did not cover prescription drugs. The Part D program that went in place after the turn of the century did cover prescription drugs, but it did not allow the federal government to negotiate price on prescription drugs. So this is the first time Medicare, our federal insurance program for the elderly, has been able to negotiate price with pharmaceutical companies for now 10 drugs that are some of the most expensive drugs for people to pay,” Thompson said.

https://talkbusiness.net/2023/09/achis-dr-joe-thompson-on-covid-drug-prescription-negotiations/

Arkansas group receives $1 million grant to study Delta health, economic outcomes

by Talk Business & Politics staff (staff2@talkbusiness.net)

A coalition of organizations in Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi will use a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation to promote improved and equitable health and economic outcomes in the Mississippi Delta regions of those states, the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement announced Thursday (May 11).

ACHI is the recipient of the planning grant, entitled NSF Engines Development Award: Advancing Equitable Access to Food and Health Technologies in the Delta.

ACHI will lead the tri-state effort, partnering with the Arkansas Rural Health Partnership, the Mississippi-based Delta Health Alliance, Mississippi-based HOPE (Hope Enterprise Corporation, Hope Credit Union, and Hope Policy Institute), the Louisiana Public Health Institute, and the Louisiana-based Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center.

https://talkbusiness.net/2023/05/arkansas-group-receives-1-million-grant-to-study-delta-health-economic-outcomes/

Obesity among Arkansas public school students rises to record level

KUAR | By Ronak Patel

The childhood obesity rate among Arkansas public school students increased by 3.1%, during the 2020-2021 school year, which is significantly higher than typical year-to-year increases, according to a report from the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement (ACHI). The increase coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted life for many.

Since 2003, the state has been able to track students' body mass index (BMI), a measure of body fat based on height and weight, through Act 1220, which was signed into law by former Gov. Mike Huckabee, a Republican. Passage of Act 1220 created one of the nation’s first statewide, school-focused initiatives to help children reach and maintain a healthy weight, according to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas.

https://www.ualrpublicradio.org/local-regional-news/2022-03-22/obesity-among-arkansas-public-school-students-rises-to-record-level

Arkansas Nonprofit News Network

42 Bar and Table staffer Melissa Hooper at the Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock.