Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families

Some hospitals are closing their obstetric units due to financial struggles, creating “maternity deserts” in Arkansas and beyond. read more >

Nikolas Doshier has been hired as assistant professor of music, and Chanell Smith has been named the university’s director of health services. read more >

After nearly 30 years with Arkansas Advocates for Children & Families, he was ready for something different. But he has no plans to step away from philanthropic work any time soon. read more >

A bill to end affirmative action in education hiring and outlaw state goals for steering procurement contracts to minority- and women-owned businesses in Arkansas gained approval Monday night. read more >

The organization expects to have a new director in place before the Arkansas General Assembly convenes in January. read more >

The Trump administration's efforts to push the poor toward self-sufficiency were dealt a blow Wednesday, when a federal judge ruled that Medicaid work requirements undermined the program's mission of providing health care for the needy. read more >

More than 7,000 people on Arkansas' Medicaid expansion didn't meet a requirement that they report at least 80 hours of work in June and face the threat of losing their coverage if they fail to comply sometime before the end of this year, state officials said Friday. read more >

Jim Argue, a former state Senate president and House member who championed education in Arkansas, died yesterday at age 66. read more >

Republicans this past week began to realize their long-held goal of requiring certain adults to work, get job training or perform community service in exchange for getting health coverage through Medicaid. read more >

First woman to graduate top of her class at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences … worked in private practice for 25 years … medical director of Arkansas Children’s Hospital … associate dean of pediatrics at UAMS … namesake of the Betty Ann Lowe M.D. Distinguished Chair in Pediatric Education … winner of numerous awards and a member of multiple boards and committees as well as President Bill Clinton’s task force for healthcare reform … first Arkansan and second woman to become president of the American Academy of Pediatrics read more >

A $177.4 million state budget surplus is likely to open up a new fight in the Legislature over the push for tax cuts and concerns that services are being jeopardized. read more >

For the first time in six years, the number of Arkansas children living in poverty decreased, according to data released Tuesday in the annual Annie E. Casey Foundation Kids Count Data Book. read more >

The Arkansas Supreme Court's decision to keep a minimum wage hike on the ballot removes the last major hurdle for a proposal that is gaining bipartisan support and faces no organized opposition as Election Day nears. read more >

A Republican takeover of a northeast Arkansas state Senate seat dims the prospects for continuing the state's compromise Medicaid expansion plan and could be a troubling early sign for Democrats who had hoped to rebound from recent losses at the polls. read more >

A proposal to divert tax revenue from car sales in Arkansas to the state's highways failed before a House panel Thursday after finance officials and education advocates warned the move could threaten state services. read more >