LITTLE ROCK – Governor Asa Hutchinson today announced the formation of the Governor’s Medical Advisory Committee for Post-Peak COVID-19 Response. The committee, established by Executive Order 20-17, will identify the criteria to guide public health strategy after Arkansas reaches the peak of COVID-19 cases.

The committee will examine testing capabilities and social distancing protocols and make any recommendations necessary to avoid a resurgence of COVID-19. Dr. Nathaniel Smith, secretary of the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH), will serve as the committee chairman.

Members of the Governor’s Medical Advisory Committee for Post-Peak COVID-19 Response are:

• Dr. Nathaniel Smith – Secretary of ADH (Chair)

• Dr. Jose Romero – ADH Chief Medical Officer and Chief of Pediatric Infectious Disease at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS)/Arkansas Children’s Hospital

• Dr. Naveen Patil – ADH Medical Director for Infectious Disease

• Dr. Jennifer Dillaha – ADH State Epidemiologist

• Dr. Austin Porter – ADH Deputy Chief Science Officer and Assistant Professor at the UAMS College of Public Health

• Dr. Greg Bledsoe – Surgeon General of Arkansas

• Dr. Jerrilyn Jones – ADH Medical Director for Preparedness and Response and Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at UAMS

• Dr. Sam Greenfield – ADH Medical Director for Family Health and Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UAMS

The committee will provide its first briefing to the Governor later this week.

Read Executive Order 20-17 HERE.

If you are not a member of the media and have questions or concerns about COVID-19, you can contact the Arkansas Department of Health at 1-800-803-7847 or visit ar.gov/covid.