Staff

About Our Executive Director

Executive Director, Cynthia C. Crone, MNSc, APN, is an advance practice nurse who is certified as a pediatric nurse practitioner. She holds faculty appointments with the UAMS College of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and the UAMS College of Public Health. She is also president of the Arkansas Nurses Assocation (1999-2003) and serves on the Arkansas Legislative Commission on Nursing.

Nursing positions in public health and perinatal outreach guided Cindy to work with others to establish Arkansas CARES in 1992. She has served as the program's director since and has been responsible for securing more than $12 million in grants and contracts for the program. With locations in Little Rock and North Little Rock, Arkansas CARES provides residential and outpatient care for dually diagnosed mothers with their children. It is licensed as an alcohol and drug treatment program, mental health services provider for adults and children, child care center and the only intervention program for at-risk youth. Outcome evaluations show the interdisciplinary program is effective in decreasing substance abuse, improving birth outcomes, decreasing mental health symptoms, decreasing child abuse potential, increasing maternal employment, and decreasing arrests.

Children served have normal growth and development and improved school attendance and grades as well as enhanced abilities to refuse alcohol and other drugs. Arkansas CARES is accredited as a behavioral healthcare provider by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO). The program was selected to receive the 2002 American Psychiatry Association Gold Achievement Award for being the nation's most innovative mental health program in an academic setting.

Cindy's work has been recognized by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Nursing (Golden Anniversary Alumni Award for Entrepreneurial Leadership), University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service (21st Century Families Award for improving the lives of youth and families in Arkansas), Arkansas Nurses Association (Byron Hawks award for improving serve to mothers and children in Arkansas), Black Community Developers (14th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr., Community Service Award), and the City of Little Rock (Freedom Fighter Award). She is a graduate of Greater Little Rock Leadership Class XIII. In 2001, she was selected as one of 20 nurses nationwide to participate in the 4th cohort of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Executive Nurse Fellowship Program - a three year development program preparing nurse executives to help shape the future healthcare system.

A lifelong resident of Little Rock, Cindy and her husband Charles have one son, who is now in college. In addition to family, church, and work activities, she volunteers with a number of professional and civic groups, including Altrusa International of Little Rock.

Cindy may be contacted at cronecynthiac@uams.edu