Formula suits name
Walmart and Target
Walmart Inc. and Target have been named as defendants in lawsuits filed by families who claim their babies got sick after drinking formula that retailers sold after a recall was announced.
ByHeart Whole Nutrition Infant Formula was recalled on Nov. 8 because of the possible presence of botulism. The company expanded the recall to other products on Nov. 11.
An outbreak of infant botulism sickened 50 babies in 19 states, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Investigators for the FDA, collaborating with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, found that the formula stayed on several retailers' store shelves for up to a week after the recall was issued.
The products were found in Walmart stores in at least 21 states between Nov. 12 and Nov. 26.
Walmart and other big retailers got warning letters in mid-December from the FDA directing them to send a written plan explaining each step they would take to prevent recurrences.
Target, Kroger and Albertsons also got the warning letters. Amazon-owned Whole Foods Market did not receive a warning letter, but is also named in the suits.
-- Serenah McKay
St. Bernards partners
with hospital system
Mississippi County Hospital System and Jonesboro-based St. Bernards Healthcare recently announced an agreement that will allow St. Bernards to manage Great River Medical Center in Blytheville and the South Mississippi County Regional Medical Center in Osceola.
The partnership will begin in January, a news release said.
"Our ultimate goal is to expand healthcare services in Mississippi County without the burden of traveling to larger cities," said John Logan, Mississippi County Hospital System board president.
Under the partnership, Mississippi County Hospital System patients will have access to St. Bernards' services.
St. Bernards President and Chief Executive Officer Chris Barber said St. Bernards has a 40-plus-year history of successful partnerships with regional hospitals.
"We offer meaningful healthcare services throughout the region -- all with the goal to provide the most appropriate care for residents' needs close to home," Barber said.
-- Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
State index up 1.93
to end day at 995.43
The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state, closed Tuesday at 995.43, up 1.93 points.
"Stocks closed slightly higher on Tuesday, with the S&P 500 hitting a record new high despite a stronger-than-expected GDP report sending the price to its highest all-time high," said Chris Harkins, managing director at Raymond James & Associates.
The index was developed by Bloomberg News and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette with a base value of 100 as of Dec. 30, 1997.