HJAR Jul/Aug 2023

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS I  JUL / AUG 2023 63 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalAR.com Hospital (ACH) in Little Rock and Arkansas Chil- dren’s Northwest (ACNW) in Springdale. The sys- tem-wide expansion plan will expand bed capac- ity, transform inpatient and outpatient surgical approaches with the addition of an ambulatory surgery center, redesign clinical spaces to pro- mote multidisciplinary care, and create an invit- ing and accessible campus experience. Arkansas Children’s Hospital Names Chief Nursing Officer Arkansas Children’s Hospital has hired Heather Cherry, DNP, MHA, RN, NE-BC, to lead nursing operations as senior vice president and chief nurs- ing officer. Cherry, who brings more than two decades of nursing leadership experience in children’s hos- pitals and academic medical center operations to the role, most recently served as assistant vice president of nursing at Texas Children’s Hospital. Cherry also held nursing leadership roles at St. Louis Children’s Hospital and Alton Memorial Hos- pital in Alton, Illinois. She earned a Doctor of Nursing Practice from Cizik School of Nursing – UT Health Sciences Cen- ter in Houston and a Master of Health Administra- tion from St. Louis University. Arkansas Children’s Hospital Auxiliary Donates $1.4 M to Hospital The Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH) Auxiliary donated $1.4 million to ACH to support programs and research initiatives for the hospital, marking the 13th consecutive year the ACH Auxiliary has raised more than $1 million in support of the hos- pital’s mission. Chris Blair, MBA, BSN, Named CEO of Northwest Medical Center —Bentonville Chris Blair, MBA, BSN, has been named as CEO of Northwest Medical Center — Bentonville. Blair has served as interim CEO of Northwest Medical Center — Bentonville since March 7, 2023, and as chief administrative officer of Siloam Springs Regional Hospital since April 2022. Prior to joining Northwest Health, he served in mul- tiple leadership roles including director of busi- ness development at Baylor Scott & White Med- ical Center in Grapevine, Texas. He also led a 42-bed progressive care unit, a 20-bed inpatient rehabilitation unit, and two multi-specialty out- patient clinics. Blair began his career in the Navy, serving in many roles from hospital corpsman to the director of business development. After five years in the Navy, he earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Excelsior College and a Master of Business Administration from Texas Women’s University. Arkansas Children’s, UAMS Hold Investiture of Four Physicians Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH) and the Uni- versity of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) celebrated the investiture of four physicians in a ceremony at CALS Ron Robinson Theater on April 26. The honorees included Sid Dassinger, MD, FACS, FAAP, as a recipient and steward of the John Boyd Family Endowed Chair in Pediatric Surgery; David Kawatu, MD, MSc, as a recipient and steward of the Jane and Frank Lyon Endowed Chair in Pediatric Gastroenterology; Robert Lyle, MD, as a recipient and steward of the Rocke- feller Endowed Chair for Children with Special Healthcare Needs; and Tamara Perry, MD, FAAP, FAAAAI, as a recipient and steward of the Dr. & Mrs. Leeman King Endowed Chair in Pediatric Allergy. “An endowed chair is the highest academic honor that a university can bestow on our distin- guished medical leaders,” said Cam Patterson, MD, MBA, UAMS chancellor and CEO of UAMS Health. “It is an indication of the work that they have done to advance health care, and it is an investment in their productivity in the future.” Dassinger, who is board-certified in general Sid Dassinger, MD, FACS, FAAP Robert Lyle, MD David Kawatu, MD, MSc Tamara Perry, MD, FAAP, FAAAAI Heather Cherry, DNP, MHA, RN, NE-BC