Two hospitals get ‘baby-friendly’ label
Northwest Health has the state’s two hospitals designated “baby-friendly” by the World Health Organization and UNICEF: Northwest Medical Center, Bentonville and Willow Creek Women’s Hospital in Johnson.
The medical system celebrated the designation Tuesday during an event at Willow Creek attended by Sharif Omar, chief executive officer of Northwest Health; Arkansas first lady Susan Hutchinson; Dr. Marisha DiCarlo, director of health communications for the Arkansas Department of Health; and other hospital and community leaders.
The WHO and UNICEF launched the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative in 1991 with a mission to encourage and recognize hospitals and birthing centers that offer a high level of care for breastfeeding.
Campus now has 2 Oasis Coffee Shops
Oasis Coffee Shop last week opened a second location at Northwest Arkansas Community College in Bentonville. Oasis of Northwest Arkansas provides housing, mentoring and paid workforce training for women and their children who are survivors of abuse, addiction, homelessness, incarceration and trafficking.
The organization’s new coffee shop is in the Becky Paneitz Student Center. It also runs a shop in the college’s Shewmaker Center for Global Business Development.
WattGlass secures funding from DSM
WattGlass, winner of of the 2016 SunRise TechBridge Challenge, has secured financing in the closing of Series A funding round led by DSM Venturing.
The company developed a water-based, anti-reflective, anti-soiling coating for solar panels utilizing a patent-pending nanoparticle process. The Fayetteville-based startup firm is in the University of Arkansas Research and Technology Park.
Corey Thompson, WattGlass CEO, said the DSM Venturing funding provides the company resources needed to commercialize the research. WattGlass is looking to establish domestic production of their proprietary chemical blends for shipment to customers worldwide.
Architects honor ‘Reinventing Vilonia’
The American Institute of Architects awarded the University of Arkansas Community Design Center a 2017 Institute Honor Award for Regional and Urban Design for its tornado recovery plan called “Reinventing Vilonia.”
The small town north of Little Rock and the nearby town of Mayflower were struck by an EF4 tornado in April 2014.
The Central Arkansas Planning and Development District hired the Community Design Center to work with organizations in Vilonia and Mayflower. Collaborators on the Vilonia project included the Institute for Economic Advancement at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Metroplan and Rebuild Vilonia.
Briefs are for businesses in Northwest Arkansas that are new, have moved or closed, opened a new branch, changed owners or have been honored by an independent organization. Email items to cswanson@nwadg.com. Information will be published as space allows