(LITTLE ROCK, Ark.) – The Department of Human Services (DHS) announced today that Martina Smith, Deputy Director of the Division of Provider Services and Quality Assurance (DPSQA), has been tapped to oversee the Division, which is responsible for certification, licensure, surveys, and inspections for long-term care facilities. 

Smith has been serving as DPSQA Deputy Director since March under Director Jerald Sharum, who will be leaving DHS at the end of the month for the private sector.

"Martina has learned the operations of DPSQA inside and out since taking on the deputy role,” said DHS Director Cindy Gillespie. “She’s smart and ready to take on this new challenge and to lead the division as it continues to improve how it serves the people of this great state.”

In addition to certification, licensure, surveys, and inspections for long-term care, DPSQA handles provider training and education and promotes workforce development. 

"We’ve been working hard this year to improve our processes so that we can better serve and protect the most vulnerable Arkansans during this pandemic and to improve a lot of our processes,” Smith said Monday. “I’m eager to continue that work and have a great team of assistant directors and staff working alongside me. They’ve done incredible work, and I have no doubt that will continue.”

Martina began her law career in 2004 in Tennessee, working in various roles for the State of Tennessee until moving to Arkansas in 2013 to work for the Arkansas Fair Housing Commission. She began her work at DHS in February 2016 first as an attorney specialist in the Office of Chief Counsel, then as the Department’s privacy officer.

In March, Sharum tapped Smith to serve as his deputy. In that role, she manages the day-to-day operations of the division, oversees the Office of Long-term Care and the survey operations, oversees the Division's response to COVID-19, and more.

Smith will start in her new role on Nov. 29, 2020, and will work closely with Sharum during the transition.