Baptist Memorial Health Care recently named administrators who will lead the organization’s cardiovascular and neurosciences services.
Teresa Dawson will serve as the interim administrator of Baptist’s cardiovascular services. She has held a number of cardiovascular leadership positions during her 14-year Baptist career, including nursing director of Baptist Memphis’ cardiovascular services and director of the hospital’s Heart Institute. Since September 2013, she has served as chief nursing officer of Baptist Booneville, and she will remain in that position while also serving as interim cardiovascular services administrator. Larry “Richie” Arnold has been promoted to Baptist Booneville’s director of nursing and will lead the hospital’s daily nursing operations.
Kim Hallum recently was named administrator of Baptist’s neurosciences services after spending the past six years as Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital’s Neuroscience Institute director. During her tenure there, U.S. News and World Report ranked the institute among the top 50 in the country for three consecutive years. Hallum also spent three and a half years as Arkansas Children’s Hospital’s ambulatory care operations director.
“Teresa and Kim will provide excellent leadership, guidance and support for two of our biggest services,” said Dr. Paul DePriest, executive vice president and chief operating officer for Baptist. “By establishing strong, centralized leadership for these services, I have no doubt they will continue to flourish, further enhancing the outstanding care we deliver to our patients.”
Dawson and Hallum are responsible for the services’ strategic business development. They will serve as liaisons across all of Baptist’s affiliated entities and work with clinical staff to develop strategies for enhancing patient care. They will work in tandem with a medical director to assure operational efficiency, integration of services, quality outcomes, and strategic growth and development. Dawson will join Dr. Arie Szatkowski, a cardiologist with Baptist Medical Group-Stern Cardiovascular Foundation, to lead Baptist’s cardiovascular services. Baptist already has established an oncology services leadership team, Dr. Stephen Edge and Ann Bishop, who oversee the growth and development of that service across hospitals and physician practices.