HJAR May/Jun 2025

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS I  MAY / JUN 2025 49 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalAR.com and treating patients as an endocrinologist. His leadership resulted in significant advancements in diabetes care, including the transition to out- patient new-onset diabetes education, helping families adjust without requiring disruptive over- night stays in the hospital. McDonough has held key positions with the American Diabetes Association, the Diabetes Education & Camping Association, and Type 1 Diabetes TrialNet. He is triple board-certified in general pediatrics, pediatric endocrinology and diabetes, and clinical informatics. He earned a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine at Des Moines University in Iowa and served a residency and post-graduate training at Children’s Mercy in Kansas City, Missouri. CHI St. Vincent Appoints Christi Whatley to Market VP of Ancillary Services CHI St. Vincent announced the appointment of Christi Whatley to market vice president of Ancil- lary Services for Arkansas. In her new role, Whatley will oversee imag- ing, pharmacy, laboratory, respiratory, therapy services, facilities, environmental services, trans- portation, operational performance excellence, and food and nutrition. She moves into her new role after serving nearly seven years as vice presi- dent of quality and professional services for CHI St. Vincent. CHI St. Vincent Market President Chad Aduddell said. “Christi's dedication to excellence, strategic vision and a deep understanding of our mission make her an invaluable addition to our leadership team. I know she will be instrumental in leading the service excellence of our ancillary services for many years to come.” Whatley has served in various healthcare leader- ship roles across Arkansas and Hot Springs since 1996, from finance to operations. In her leadership at CHI St. Vincent, she oversaw quality and opera- tional excellence across Arkansas. Whatley led CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs to its LeapFrog A facility designation and overhauled safety protocols for CHI St. Vincent across the state to meet quality metrics. Whatley also led risk strategy, ensuring readmission reduction while elevating continuum of care coordination. Whatley is a graduate of Henderson State University, where she received a bachelor’s degree in business administration and an MBA. She is a certified public accountant and certified profes- sional in healthcare quality. Baptist HealthMedical Center- Stuttgart Welcomes General Surgeon Jorge Castro-Otero, MD Jorge Castro-Otero, MD, recently joined the team of general surgeons at Baptist Health Med- ical Center-Stuttgart. Castro-Otero received a medical education from the University of Cartagena in Cartagena, Colom- bia. He completed residency training at Lankenau Medical Center in Penn Wynne, Pennsylvania, as well as fellowships in surgical critical care and tho- racic surgery. Castro-Otero is fluent in both Eng- lish and Spanish. “Our practice puts the patient first, in all matters (disease-process, personal factors, family issues, etc), and his/her family,” Castro-Otero said. “They really count on us when it comes to addressing any type of concern. Our commitment and pri- ority is to provide the best care possible with a follow up.” Castro-Otero, who has practiced medicine for more than 20 years, is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and member of the Society of Critical Care. Baptist Health Medical Center-Stuttgart opened in 1957 and became a part of Baptist Health in 2009. The nationally recognized, faith-based hos- pital has 49 licensed beds and is Medicare certi- fied. The hospital’s Emergency Department is a Level IV trauma center, which means it has dem- onstrated the ability to provide advanced trauma life support (ATLS) prior to the transfer of patients to a higher-level trauma center. Mark Ranatza Named Chief Nursing Officer at Arkansas Children’s Northwest Mark Ranatza, MHA, BSN, RN, joined Arkansas Children’s Northwest (ACNW) as chief nursing offi- cer (CNO) in March, concluding a national search. Before accepting the position with Arkansas Children's, Ranatza served as assistant vice pres- ident of hospital operations at Manning Fam- ily Children's (formerly Children's Hospital New Orleans), where he played a key role in expand- ing behavioral health services, including leading the development of a 70,000-square-foot behav- ioral health canter. “Mark brings a wealth of experience in pediat- ric healthcare operations and a strong track record of driving innovation and improving patient care,” said Rustin Morse, MD, senior vice president and chief administrator of ACNW. “His leadership has been instrumental in improving patient experi- ence and strengthening operations. We look for- ward to seeing his expertise and passion bene- fit ACNW.” Ranatza has a diverse background spanning hematology-oncology, critical care, emergency services, and behavioral health. He earned a nurs- ing degree at Louisiana State University (LSU) Health Sciences Center in Baton Rouge and a Master of Healthcare Administration at LSU Shreveport. Ranatza succeeds ACNW CNO Michael How- ard, who is pursuing another leadership role at ACNW. n Jorge Castro-Otero, MD Mark Ranatza, MHA, BSN, RN