Dr. Jose Romero

Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced Thursday the appointment of Renee Mallory, RN, BSN, as interim secretary of health, and Jennifer Dillaha, M.D., as director of the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH). Mallory replaces  Dr. Jose Romero, who resigned as health secretary…

During a media briefing Tuesday, Governor Asa Hutchinson announced the expansion of the Intensive Supervision Program to monitor high-risk offenders, the resignation of Arkansas Health Secretary Dr. Jose Romero, and gave updates on Covid-19. Hutchinson said the recent uptick in…

At his weekly news briefing on Friday, Governor Asa Hutchinson announced the new numbers for COVID-19 as of Friday with Arkansas surpassing over 100k active cases in the state. This means over 3 percent of the population is currently an…

During a weekly news briefing on Tuesday, Governor Asa Hutchinson discussed an upcoming legislative special session and the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus. The Governor announced that the special session will begin Dec. 7 and will include a discussion…

State officials continue to push for increased vaccinations, particularly after the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is reintroduced for distribution and use. Gov. Asa Hutchinson told reporters on Tuesday, April 27 that there is an ample supply of COVID-19 vaccine doses…

Arkansas is pausing the distribution of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine for now. This pause comes after both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) called for a pause in the…

Vaccine eligibility in Arkansas is being expanded by order of Gov. Asa Hutchinson, starting Tuesday, Feb. 23. He told reporters during a Tuesday afternoon briefing that Arkansans aged 65 and older will now be able to be vaccinated as part…

Gov. Asa Hutchinson will not extend a state directive requiring bars, restaurants and nightclubs that serve alcohol to close at 11 p.m. Hutchinson announced on Tuesday, Feb. 2 that he would not be extending the directive, which is set to…

A lawsuit contending that the state’s 11 p.m. curfew for bars and restaurants that serve alcohol is unconstitutional has been dismissed by Pulaski County Circuit Court Judge Wendell Griffen. A group of 23 Northwest Arkansas restaurant, nightclub and bar owners…

Dr. Jose Romero doesn’t see himself as a character in a Michael Crichton novel. On the contrary, Arkansas’ newest secretary of health is a self-described academic/physician. That’s all. It just so happens that his expertise lies in infectious disease and…