Arkansas Children’s Names Jamie Wiggins PhD(c), MBA, RN, NEA-BC, FACHE as Next Chief Operations Officer

Published date: June 21, 2021

Arkansas Children’s will welcome experienced children’s health executive Jamie Wiggins, PhD(c), MBA, RN, NEA-BC, FACHE, to the position of Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer after an extensive and competitive national search, the state’s only pediatric health system announced Monday.

LITTLE ROCK, AR. (June 21, 2021) – Arkansas Children’s will welcome experienced children’s health executive Jamie Wiggins, PhD(c), MBA, RN, NEA-BC, FACHE, to the position of Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer after an extensive and competitive national search, the state’s only pediatric health system announced Monday. He will begin serving in the system-wide role in August.

Wiggins joins the Arkansas Children’s team after serving most recently as Senior Vice President, Chief Clinical Officer & Chief Nursing Officer at Children’s Hospital New Orleans. Wiggins has also held leadership positions at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, Children’s Minnesota, and UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital.

“With nearly 20 years of experience in children’s hospital clinical and administrative operations, Jamie brings a deep understanding of pediatric healthcare safety, quality and innovation to his new role,” said Marcy Doderer, FACHE, President & CEO of Arkansas Children’s. “During the search process, we identified the need for a strategic, humble and empathetic leader capable of executing on the improvement of patient experience, employee engagement and growth. I am confident we have found that leader in Jamie.”

In his role as COO, Wiggins will be a driver of the strategic vision in advancement of solidifying Arkansas Children's as a destination for pediatric care in the state and broader region while addressing and improving the health of the children it serves.

Wiggins is a Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing candidate at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center New Orleans, where he is researching the association of the nursing professional practice environment on pediatric acute care outcomes. He also is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and is a certified Nurse Executive-Advanced by the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

He earned his associate degree in Nursing from Pitt Community College, Bachelor of Science in Nursing from University of San Francisco, Master of Science in Nursing and Health Systems Leadership from University of California – San Francisco, and Master of Business Administration from Nicholls State University.

Wiggins and his husband Jack Dinetz will be relocating to Little Rock, and he will begin his new role on August 9.

Trisha Montague, who has served as Executive Vice President and Interim Chief Operations Officer for the last 10 months, will retire at the end of June. She was responsible for helping develop and lead Arkansas Children’s Northwest in Springdale and stepped into the Interim Chief Operations Officer position last summer, playing an integral role in the search for a permanent successor.

ABOUT ARKANSAS CHILDREN’S

Arkansas Children's, Inc. is the only healthcare system in the state solely dedicated to caring for Arkansas' more than 700,000 children. The private, non-profit organization includes two pediatric hospitals, a pediatric research institute and USDA nutrition center, a philanthropic foundation, a nursery alliance, statewide clinics, and many education and outreach programs — all focused on fulfilling a promise to define and deliver unprecedented child health. Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH) is a 336-bed, Magnet-recognized facility in Little Rock operating the state’s only Level I pediatric trauma center; the state's only burn center; the state's only Level IV neonatal intensive care unit; the state's only pediatric intensive care unit; the state’s only pediatric surgery program with Level 1 verification from the American College of Surgeons (ACS); the state’s only magnetoencephalography (MEG) system for neurosurgical planning and cutting-edge research; and the state's only nationally recognized pediatric transport program. Additionally, ACH is nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report in four pediatric subspecialties (2021—2022): Cardiology & Heart Surgery, Nephrology, Pulmonology and Urology. ACH is one of only five hospitals in the nation that have achieved Magnet Status, ACS Level 1 verification and a Beacon award from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses. Arkansas Children’s Northwest (ACNW), the first and only pediatric hospital in the Northwest Arkansas region, is a level IV pediatric trauma center. ACNW operates a 24-bed inpatient unit; a surgical unit with five operating rooms; outpatient clinics offering over 20 subspecialties; diagnostic services; imaging capabilities; occupational therapy services; and Northwest Arkansas' only pediatric emergency department, equipped with 30 exam rooms. Generous philanthropic and volunteer engagement has sustained Arkansas Children's since it began as an orphanage in 1912, and today ensures the system can deliver on its promise of unprecedented child health. To learn more, visit archildrens.org.

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