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UAMS and Arkansas Children’s say state PANS/PANDAS clinic opened; DHS officials back program
Summary
Dr. Rick Smith told the Senate committee Arkansas is one of eight PACE Foundation multidisciplinary clinics; a soft opening at Arkansas Children’s has seen one pediatric patient, weekly clinic capacity is planned at 4–6 children, and DHS and the PACE Foundation are coordinating on staffing and trials including an IVIG study.
Little Rock — Dr. Rick Smith, acting head of child psychiatry at UAMS and Arkansas Children’s Hospital, briefed the Senate Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee on the new statewide clinical resource for pediatric acute‑onset neuropsychiatric syndromes (PANS/PANDAS).
Smith said ACH/UAMS are the fifth of eight planned multidisciplinary clinics nationwide working with the PACE Foundation consortium to diagnose, treat and coordinate care for children who develop sudden and severe obsessive‑compulsive symptoms or related neuropsychiatric deterioration. “These are complicated illnesses that strike suddenly,” Smith said, describing the center’s role in both clinical care and primary‑care education for pediatricians.
He reported a soft opening at ACH with one 11‑year‑old patient from Northwest Arkansas and described plans for a weekly clinic to see four to six children beginning in January. Smith said the clinic model requires a full‑time nurse; DHS and clinic leaders are still working through the funding source for that position. He also described recent site visits by PACE Foundation founders and coordination with Arkansas Children’s Hospital leadership and the governor’s staff to support clinical‑trial participation, including an intravenous immunoglobulin study opening in the months ahead.
Committee members praised the partnership with national centers and urged outreach to primary‑care clinicians so cases are recognized and referred early. The chair thanked Dr. Smith for the progress report and noted the committee’s support for continuing the initiative.
Dr. Smith and DHS staff who accompanied the update answered procedural questions and said they would continue to report clinic milestones to the committee.
