NYITCOM Gets $3.7 Million for Blytheville Residency, Expanded EMS Training

JONESBORO, Ark. — NYITCOM at Arkansas State University has received about $3.7 million in grants to help launch a family medicine residency in Blytheville and expand emergency medical technician and paramedic training across Arkansas.

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced the latest Rural Health Transformation Project awards Thursday, Sept. 24, according to a news release from the medical school.

The New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine at A-State received $3 million for startup costs associated with the planned rural-track residency. A separate grant of approximately $740,000 will support its emergency medical services programs and four new partner sites.

The residency is being developed with the Mississippi County Hospital System and St. Bernards Healthcare. NYITCOM has applied for accreditation through the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and hopes to welcome its first four resident physicians in summer 2027.

The school and the hospital system announced their partnership in August 2025. St. Bernards has since assumed operation of the hospital system and joined the residency effort, according to the release.

The program will train physicians to manage complex chronic illnesses with limited local resources, use telemedicine, provide obstetric and pediatric care, and work with community leaders to address factors affecting patients’ health.

The school cited an Arkansas Center for Health Improvement report showing Mississippi County has nine full-time family medicine physicians serving a population of approximately 40,000.

“We’ve been working diligently toward making this program a reality, and the funding we graciously received today marks a significant step in doing so,” said Dr. Amanda Deel, NYITCOM’s associate dean for graduate medical education, who is leading the initiative.

“Data shows that physicians who attend residency in rural areas are much more likely to practice in one, and we’re humbled at the opportunity to train the type of physician our communities need in the communities that need them the most,” Deel said.

The EMS grant will fund additional instructors and startup costs to expand NYITCOM’s existing training and establish programs at partner colleges in Blytheville, Malvern, El Dorado and Pocahontas. Northeast Arkansas partners include Arkansas Northeastern College in Blytheville and Black River Technical College in Pocahontas.

The local colleges will recruit students regionally, while NYITCOM will serve as the sponsoring institution and provide curriculum and faculty instruction. The Arkansas Ambulance Association supports the initiative, according to the school.

NYITCOM took over A-State’s EMT and paramedic programs in 2024. Those programs operate primarily in Jonesboro, with a satellite program in Cherokee Village. The school reports a 90% first-time pass rate on licensing exams among its paramedic program participants.

“The demand for EMTs and paramedics has never been greater in our state, and we’re fortunate to be in a position to help address the issue,” said Sara Walker, director of NYITCOM’s EMS programs.

Both new grants fall under the project’s RISE category, which stands for Recruitment, Innovation, Skills and Education.

In August, the school received a $1.5 million grant through the project’s PACT phase for a maternal and child health initiative focused on Mississippi and Poinsett counties. Together, its three awards total approximately $5.2 million.

“We are so grateful to again receive funds that will truly make a difference in health education in Arkansas,” said Dr. Shane Speights, dean of NYITCOM at A-State.

NYITCOM at A-State opened in 2016 and operates in Wilson Hall on the Jonesboro campus. Its mission includes training physicians and expanding health outreach in rural and underserved communities in Arkansas and the Mississippi Delta.