Called McRae Park After Dark, the family-friendly Halloween-themed event seeks to reduce the stigma surrounding HIV and other health disparities through educational presentations and the sharing of resources.
Health and wellness information will be available at vendor tables, and PG-rated Halloween themed movies will be played. Educational messages about HIV, substance abuse, mental health and other health concerns will be shown between each movie. Refreshments will be provided.
The event is sponsored by the UAMS Department of Family and Preventive Medicine Research and Evaluation Division (RED), using grant funds from the Arkansas Department of Health, Save AR Future (SARF) and UAMS Project HEAL.
The division also operates a Gap Services office at 117 E. Main St. in Prescott, where free health services are provided for residents of southwest Arkansas. The services include testing for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, blood pressure and Hepatitis C screenings, glucose testing and mental health assessments.
UAMS is the state's only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a main campus in Little Rock; a Northwest Arkansas regional campus in Fayetteville; a statewide network of regional campuses; and seven institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Psychiatric Research Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, Translational Research Institute and Institute for Digital Health & Innovation. UAMS includes UAMS Health, a statewide health system that encompasses all of UAMS' clinical enterprise. UAMS is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 3,275 students, 890 medical residents and fellows, and five dental residents. It is the state's largest public employer with more than 12,000 employees, including 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS, its regional campuses, Arkansas Children's, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or www.uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube or Instagram.