Jo Smith dies at 73; UAMS nurse had helped thousands navigate health care system

Jo Smith, who spent 45 years helping and caring for patients at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, died Thursday. She was 73.

Smith died at her home in Little Rock after a long illness, surrounded by family and friends, said her sisters, May and Julie Atkins.

After working as a nurse at UAMS, she became director of special services in 2002. She transformed the department into an invaluable resource for patients who needed help navigating the health care system.

"Jo helped thousands of people navigate what could at times seem like a maze of medical appointments and tests, doing everything in her power to make them more comfortable," Interim Chancellor C. Lowry Barnes wrote in an email to employees. "She sat at the bedside, holding the hands of patients and their loved ones