H (USPS156-140) Vol. 132, Number 42 DeWitt, AR 72042 • 16 Pages • 2 Sections • 75 cents
UNTER EDUCATION COURSE INFORMATION
Serving Arkansas County, Arkansas Since 1882
Story on page 5A
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Hamburger Supper for Girls and Boys State Delegates
AROUND THE COUNTY
R.A.V.E. BENEFIT DINNER & AUCTION
Gillett Civic Group to hold annual R.A.V.E. Benefit Dinner & Auction - Sat. Nov. 1st. at Old Post Lodge in Gillett. Event begins at 6 pm. For Tickets call Jennifer Menard 870-830-5410
10 FT TALL TROJAN HORSE COMING TO DEWITT
The “Vote Against Issue 3” campaign will make a stop at the DeWitt Court Square at 3 p.m. with their “Trojan Horse” on Wednesday, October 15th.
HALLOWEEN CARNIVAL
DeWitt Senior Center 205 N. Main October 25, 2014 2:00 PM – 7:00 PM Hot dogs, chips, popcorn, cheese dip and a soda Lots of fun for all ages! Games for prizes such as: Cake Walk, Spider Ring Toss, Pick Up Ducks, Fishing and Bingo Grand Prize – Halloween Basket with lots of goodies and surprises!!! The drawing for the Grand Prize will be at 6:45 PM Tickets for the games and food will be available at the door. All proceeds benefit the DeWitt Senior Center.
DEWITT SENIOR CENTER
OCT. 25 2-7pm Fun for all!
l-r Sidney Bueker, Kalen Kemp, Riley Poor, Whitney Price, Ashley Gill, and Kristen Cazer
The American Legion and Auxiliary sponsored a Hamburger Supper for the Girls State and Boys State Delegates on September 4, 2014. The delegates and
their families enjoyed hamburgers with all the trimmings cooked and prepared by the American Legion and Auxiliary members. The delegates then gave their
reports of their week at Girls State and Boys State.
2014 ADMINISTRATOR OF THE YEAR Darren Caldwell Has Been Named 2014 Administrator of the year by the Arkansas Hospital Association. Darren Caldwell, CEO of DeWitt Hospital & Nursing Home was presented with the A. Allen Weintraub Memorial Award from the Arkansas Hospital Association at the AHA’s annual awards dinner on October 9, 2014, at the Little Rock Marriott. Darren was recently chosen as the recipient of the A. Allen Weintraub Memorial Award by the Arkansas Hospital Association’s board of directors. A. Allen Weintraub was the long-time administrator of St. Vincent Infirmary in Little Rock, who was a very dedicated civic worker and an inspiration to all who worked with him. The A. Allen Weintraub Memorial Award is the highest honor bestowed upon an individual by the Arkansas Hospital Association. It recognizes hospital chief executive officers who are contributing to their hospitals and communities in the same manner as Mr. Weintraub. Caldwell’s career is notable not only for his accomplishments, but also for his service to the people of Southeast Arkansas. After serving as the assistant administrator at Delta Memorial Hospital (1989-1991), he was named CEO of DeWitt Hospital & Nursing Home, a position he held from 1991 into 1996. Late in 1996, he became the CEO of Drew Memorial Hospital in Monticello, serving there for more than five years before returning to DeWitt in 2002. During the past 12 years at DeWitt, he has overseen projects which include remodeling of the existing structure
and building a new facility for the hospital based rural health clinic. He was instrumental in securing a $400,000 grant for capital improvements through U.S. Congressman Marion Berry’s office and worked to increase the nursing home census by 35% after several years of no substantial change. He opened a second Home Health in a neighboring community, extended the hospital’s ambulance service to a community 35 miles away and replaced all of the diagnostic equipment within his first three years. Twice he organized campaigns for 1.5 cent sales taxes to support DeWitt Hospital & Nursing Home. Both were successful, with voters giving approval ratings of 79% and 91% respectively. And for a 15 month span in 20122013, he filled the CEO position simultaneously for DeWitt Hospital &
Delta Memorial Hospital in Dumas. He successfully organized a campaign for Delta Memorial Hospital in Dumas to restructure a sales tax that created funds paid directly to the hospital for operation expenses that passed by a 72% approval rating. A member of the Arkansas Hospital Association board of directors since 2008, he was elected in 2013 to serve as the group’s treasurer. In addition, he has chaired AHA’s Medicaid committee for the past three years, helping AHA and its member hospitals transition through various changes associated with the state’s multi-payer Payment Improvement Initiative and the implementation of Arkansas’ Private Option plan to expand healthcare coverage to low-income Arkansans. He is the chairman for the Greater Delta Alliance for health Inc., a nonprofit, horizontal hospital organization comprised of nine Southeast Arkansas Rural Hospitals, which is responsible for providing healthcare resources and workforce training for up to 19 counties in Southeast Arkansas. He is a Arkansas Red Cross board member, past president of the DeWitt Chamber of Commerce and DeWitt Rotary Club, member of the Dewitt Industrial Development Corporation and Dumas Chamber of Commerce. The DeWitt Hospital & Nursing Home Auxiliary will host a come and go reception from 5 pm – 7 pm at the DeWitt City Park Community Center to honor Caldwell for this well-deserved recognition.
Darren Caldwell,
CEO of DeWitt Hospital, has been chosen by the Arkansas Hospital Association as the
2014 Administrator of the Year in Arkansas. also known as the A. Allen Weintraub Memorial Award.
The award is the highest honor bestowed by the AHA. Darren was presented this award at the AHA annual Convention in Little Rock on Oct. 9th
A come & go community reception, sponsored by the DeWitt Hospital Nursing Home Auxiliary will be held on Thursday, October 16th at the DeWitt Community Center from 5-7 p.m
Everyone is welcome. We invite you to stop by & congratulate Darren on the honor.