BHealthy Blog

Baptist Health Names Experienced Administrator to Lead New Hospital Under Construction in Conway

Here’s a sign that the new Baptist Health hospital currently under construction is one step closer to becoming a reality –– it now has a leader.

Jamie Carter, who was most recently the chief operating officer of the 617-bed Methodist University Hospital in Memphis, has been named as the vice president and administrator of the soon-to-be-opened Baptist Health Medical Center-Conway.

Carter started with Baptist Health last week and is working out of an office on the BHMC-Little Rock campus as he prepares for the Conway hospital’s grand opening, which is tentatively scheduled for April of next year if there are no weather delays in construction.

“We are fortunate to have someone with his level of experience joining Baptist Health, and he will be a great fit in the organization,” said Doug Weeks, chief operating officer and executive vice president for Baptist Health.

“He is off to a fast start and has many great ideas as we get ready to open up this very important facility,” Weeks said.

A Tennessee native, Carter comes to Baptist Health with a wealth of experience in the health-care field including a stint as president and chief executive officer at Crittenden Regional Hospital in West Memphis.

Carter said he was attracted to Baptist Health because of its fantastic reputation, large market presence, and high performance culture and was already familiar with the system from working in the past with several members of Baptist Health’s senior leadership team through the Arkansas Hospital Association.

But most of all, he is excited about the prospect of opening a brand-new medical center in a fast-growing market.

“I believe Baptist Health Medical Center-Conway can be one of the hallmarks of patient and family-centered care with the latest technology in Arkansas. I also believe that we can deliver excellent customer service and top performance with patient outcomes,” Carter said.

“In order to accomplish this, we will need a high-performance team to come together in Conway to deliver these results, and I am looking forward to recruiting this team and serving them as their administrator in this incredible journey,” he said.

Carter has also been impressed with all of the employees he has encountered at Baptist Health in his first two weeks on the job.

“The engagement level of Baptist Health employees alongside administration has been exciting to see. I have seen Baptist Health’s three steps of service with my own eyes as I have been greeted warmly no matter what part of the hospital or system I have visited. Not all systems can boast about keeping these commitments, but Baptist Health’s employees are truly delivering on this every day,” Carter said.

In addition to his outstanding credentials in hospital administration, Carter is a past recipient of the A. Allen Weintraub Award from the Arkansas Hospital Association, was named Citizen of the Year by the West Memphis Chamber of Commerce, was included in the 2008 list of “Top 40 Under 40” by the Memphis Business Journal, and was a part of the inaugural Leadership Arkansas class in 2006.

Carter completed his Bachelor of Science degree in commerce, business administration, and health-care administration at the University of Alabama and earned a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Mississippi.

Having attended the University of Alabama, Carter did become a fan of the Crimson Tide football team during his time as a student and remains a fan today.

“Don’t hold it against me!” he joked.