What’s Cool? Problem-Solving (Editorial)

Cory Babb, co-owner of Firelight Farm in Searcy, uses Cureate Connect’s online platform to sell his farm’s products. (Provided)

It’s the time of year in Arkansas when the cold water tap runs warm. It is, in other words, our least favorite time of year. So to counter the heat-driven despair, we’ve looked for some positivity.

► As our Chloe McGehee reported earlier this month, Arkansas farmers are leveraging tech tools like Red Hen and Cureate Connect to find new markets for their products. It’s a perilous time for farmers, and technology is helping them connect directly with both individual consumers and wholesalers.

► The Arkansas Health Care Association, which represents 300 long-term care facilities in the state, saw that Arkansas was not graduating enough licensed practical nurses, so it started its own LPN school, the AHCA School of Nursing. The school, dedicated to turning certified nursing assistants into LPNs, gives workers an opportunity at career advancement while helping meet the demand for LPNs.

► The Chris & Jamie Fowler Family Physician Recruitment Fund, jump-started with a $5.6 million donation from the Fowler family, aims to recruit physicians to northeast Arkansas through medical school debt forgiveness. The program is targeting doctors in specialties facing severe shortages.

Arkansans meeting problems head-on and creating solutions are about the coolest thing we know right now.