Cotton, family see LR-area hospitals
U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton and his wife, Anna Peckham, know how important neonatal intensive care units are. They spent much of December 2016 at a Washington, D.C., hospital as their second-born son, Daniel, struggled to overcome respiratory distress syndrome.
On Friday, they toured the newborn intensive care unit at UAMS Medical Center in Little Rock, before visiting Arkansas Children's Hospital.
At each location, they were briefed by medical experts.
Daniel, accompanied by his big brother, Gabriel, seemed to enjoy stopping by the children's hospital. The highlight for the kids was a trip to the rooftop to see Angel One, the medical helicopter.
Afterward, Cotton, a Republican from Dardanelle, said he appreciated the opportunity to learn about the medical centers and their lifesaving work.
In May, they'll participate in a congressional chef cookoff, part of the annual March of Dimes Gourmet Gala.
"For Anna and me, because Daniel was in the [neonatal intensive care unit], we're big supporters of March of Dimes and programs that benefit babies who are struggling," Cotton said. "Being here at the Children's Hospital and earlier at UAMS' NICU is personally very meaningful for us.
"We understand what it's like whenever your baby is struggling to stay alive," he said.
"We've had our baby taken out of our hospital room and taken to a NICU," Cotton said. He remembers what it was like "to go there and not be able to touch him for the first four days of his life.
"Fortunately, he only spent two weeks there," Cotton said. "Some of these parents have to spend months here."
In an interview, Dr. Rick Barr, pediatrician in chief at Arkansas Children's Hospital, said the medical field is making significant progress in such cases.
"Kids as young as 23 weeks' gestation, just barely over 5 months' gestation ... routinely survive now. That didn't happen when I was training 25 years ago," he said. "And those kids are surviving without significant medical issues down the road. That's where the true advancements have been made."
Asked why the survival rates have risen, Barr said, "It's just great medical care.
"We know a lot more than we used to about lung development, about brain development, and how we can really make sure we're maximizing their outcomes," he added.
Hill hosts member of U.K. Parliament
Rehman Chishti, a Conservative member of the British Parliament, visited Arkansas last week, attending the monthly meeting of the Political Animals Club, meeting students and faculty members at North Little Rock High School and traveling around the 2nd Congressional District with U.S. Rep. French Hill, a Republican from Little Rock.
The two lawmakers are members of the British American Parliamentary Group, a program sponsored by the U.S. State Department's bureau of educational and cultural affairs.
Chishti, who represents Rainham and Gillingham southeast of London, has made four trips to Arkansas since joining the program in 2017.
"I think it's a great state," he said. "It's got jobs, opportunity, prosperity. It has a massive military heritage."
Chishti's constituency -- or district -- has a proud military heritage of its own. The Corps of Royal Engineers has been based in that area for more than two centuries.
Hill and Chishti have worked to establish partnerships between schools in the two countries.
The ties are positive, Hill said Wednesday.
"We're excited about these kids learning together through Skype and Google Hangouts. I think it's a great opportunity for young people to make that cross-cultural connection," he said.
Parliament, like Congress, is in the midst of its Easter recess.
Back in London, Brexit remains on the agenda.
Chishti said the people have endorsed Britain's exit from the European Union, noting the results of the 2016 national referendum.
"The prime minister, myself, every other Conservative member of Parliament is working as hard as we can to ensure that we deliver on that public mandate and leave the European Union as quickly, as swiftly as we can," he said.
2 students named McLarty Scholars
Two University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service students have been named McLarty Scholars.
The award will enable Andrea Zekis and Brady Ruffin to complete semester-long fellowships at Vital Voices Global Partnership, a Washington-based nonprofit group that seeks to "identify and invest in women leaders around the world."
Donna Cochran McLarty and her husband, Mack, along with other family members established the scholars program in 2002.
Donna McLarty, one of the global partnership's co-founders, currently serves as its chairman emeritus. Her husband is a former White House chief of staff, counselor to the president and special envoy to the Americas.
In a news release, she said Zekis and Ruffin "have demonstrated their commitment to addressing human-rights issues and empowerment in their own communities and beyond.
"We are honored to play a part in fostering their exceptional dedication to public service by connecting them to [Vital Voices Global Partnership]," she added.
Zekis, a graduate of the University of Evansville, holds master's degrees from Syracuse University and the University of Central Arkansas.
Ruffin graduated from the University of Mississippi last year with an undergraduate degree in integrated marketing communications.
While in Washington, Zekis and Ruffin "will conduct research and evaluation of the interaction, strength and effectiveness of [Vital Voices'] global network of women leaders," the news release stated.
Planning to visit the nation's capital? Know something happening in Washington, D.C.? Please contact Frank Lockwood at (202) 662-7690 or flockwood@arkansasonline.com. Want the latest from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's Washington bureau? It's available on Twitter, @LockwoodFrank.
A Section on 04/21/2019