Northark,
NARMC PartnershipRelease Date: April 3, 2001
Northark,
NARMC Partnership
Named "Benchmark Practice"
The North Arkansas Partnership for Health Education (NAPHE), founded by North Arkansas College and North Arkansas Regional Medical Center, is one of 50 programs at two-year colleges worldwide that have been selected as Benchmark Practices. A panel of community college administrators, policymakers, and rural development researchers made the selection from nominations by two-year colleges in the United States, Denmark, Austria, South Africa, and New Zealand. The Benchmark Practice award is co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Education.
NAPHE provides continuing education for area healthcare professionals, and offers community health education for residents of northern Arkansas. What started as a local partnership between Northark and NARMC has expanded to a regional coalition that includes 60 participant organizations. Already in 2001, NAPHE has served over 1,000 people from 112 businesses and organizations.
NAPHE is sponsoring a seminar April 5-6 on "Critical Thinking in the Classroom" featuring nationally known expert Donna Ignatavicius. The seminar at Comfort Inn in Harrison has received registration confirmations from over 300 people from seven states, 26 different colleges, and seven nursing schools and hospitals.
In recognition of NAPHE’s designation as a Benchmark Practice, Northark president Dr. Bill Baker, NARMC chief executive officer Tim Hill, and NAPHE executive director Dr. Rick Hinterthuer received a plaque from the Fund for Rural America, which administers the Benchmark Practices for Local Economies program.
A mini case study of NAPHE will be published in a hardcover edition featuring the Benchmark Practices that will be disseminated through organizations such as the American Association of Community Colleges, the National Governors’ Association, the National Association of Development Organizations, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration, and others. NAPHE will also be featured on Internet web pages developed for the program.
NAPHE is a non-profit corporation, funded by donations, subsidies from Northark and NARMC, and fees for its services. It has a board of directors that represent the college, hospital, and community. Among its many partners and programs, NAPHE has been very active in working with the local officials of the Arkansas Department of Health and other local agencies in implementing programs to meet needs identified by the Hometown Health Improvement Project. Boone County received the pilot grant in Arkansas for that grant. Using results from that study, the North Arkansas Partnership for Health Education is providing health education programs for area citizens and healthcare professionals.